


Nightmare

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Eating Disorders, F/F, F/M, Purging, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Recovery, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:55:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2444540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amon's assault splits her in two: it is the political act of destroying the Avatar, the resistance, but it is also the personal humiliation of Korra, the young Water Tribe girl who is having her innocence stolen in front of dozens of hungry eyes.</p><p>She wants to run away from the burden he's given her, but when Asami disappears, it's impossible to look the other way. Korra cares more for Asami than she fears Amon, and it's her duty to protect her, even if that means she may find herself facing her nightmares once again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Act

**Author's Note:**

> This story has descriptions of non-consensual sex. Although it's nothing explicit, it can still be triggering, so if you are triggered by noncon, this is not the story for you. Once more in case you didn't hear the first time
> 
> TW: NONCON and EATING DISORDERS

She had never expected it to be like this.  
  
She had trained for as long as she could remember in physical combat, but this — this was more than she had ever expected, even from such a horrible man.  
  
“Y-you can’t do this!” Korra choked out, cringing at the feeling of Amon’s hands slowly tracing her body. He tugged on her shirt, removing her clothing one article at a time.  
  
“I’d like to see you stop me, Avatar.”  
  
His voice, which normally sent shivers down her spine, shook her to her core ( _Spirits, how is this happening?_ ). Amon had always been a buzz in the back of her brain. He haunted her nightmares, haunted the darkness of night, haunted the unexplored corners of Republic City. He had always been a perspective fear, a fear that one day he would get to her and ruin her.  
  
That day was now.  
  
Laying motionless on the stone floor of the museum she had been pulled into, chi-blocked and paralyzed, Korra gasped for air. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. His hands touching, grabbing, clawing at her body were too much to bear. Korra was drowning, sinking deeper and deeper into herself, air nowhere to be found.  
  
If she had known that Amon was not going to come alone, that he had plans to defile her in front of his chi-blockers, she would have let Tenzin and Tarrlok post extra security around Aang Memorial Island. Now, she was alone, defenseless, and facing the consequences.  
  
She screeched when he fondled her chest, stripping the fabric from around her breasts. It was embarrassing to her that she was reacting to his touch because she did not want this/she did not want this/she did not want this.  
  
Amon knew she did not want this. He reveled in the fact that she did not want this. He gained power from her fear. He loved the panic that flashed through her eyes as his hand disappeared under her waistband.  
  
“P-please, please don’t!”  
  
Amon said nothing.  
  
Korra tried to think of something, anything except for what was happening to her. She thought of Mako and how she had wished that she had gotten the chance to say she loved him and wished that he were here to save her ( _I’m so, so sorry, Mako. I’m so, so sorry_ ). She thought of Bolin, sweet, sweet Bolin, and his adorable puppy eyes and silly sense of humor. She thought of Asami with her wavy hair and beautiful red lips and wondered if her first time was better than being forced upon by Republic City’s public enemy number one.  
  
“Such a good girl,” he muttered, pulling off her pants and spreading her limp legs.  
  
Tears, previously burning her eyelids, fled down the sides of her face and into her ears. “A-Amon, you motherfucker,” Korra tried to sound indignant ( _I am not a good girl_ ), but she only sounded broken, “I hope you fucking die—“  
  
“Eventually we all die, don’t we Avatar?”  
  
She didn’t know why his response made her blood run cold, but even though she was unable to move, her body shivered.  
  
“O-Oh, Spirits—!”  
  
Unbelievable pain wracked her body, radiating from her pelvis all the way up her spine. Korra’s mouth opened as if to scream, but she couldn’t. She only sobbed as Amon claimed her as his own.  
  
In that moment, this assault split her in two: this was the political act of destroying the Avatar, the resistance, but it was also the personal humiliation of Korra, the young Water Tribe girl who was having her innocence stolen in front of dozens of hungry eyes.  
  
( _I do/don’t deserve to repent/suffer._ )  
  
There was no pleasure in this. He made sure not to give her pleasure. He was not there to give her pleasure.  
  
Korra had imagined her first time before.  
  
She thought it would be with Mako, rough and uncomfortably warm, maybe with Bolin, soft and caring, or even Asami, beautiful and fun and lovely. She imagined it would be something she wanted, something she begged for, something that didn’t rip her open from the inside out.  
  
But this, this was not sex. This was a power play. This was a man forcing unbelievable pain on a helpless body.  
  
She wished that she could move, push him off her, bend the floor so it crushed him, shoot fire and burn off his fucking mask, send ice through his fleshy heart, but instead, her limbs were numb on the cold ground, as useless at if he had dismembered her before his assault.  
  
“I h-hate y-you,” she cried, trying to muffle her groans and whimpers in case they were only exciting him further. She prayed to the Spirits that he would be done soon, or better yet, that this was a horrible, horrible nightmare. This couldn’t be happening, couldn’t be real ( _this can’t be happening/this isn’t happening/you are fine/you are fine/stop crying/shut_ up).  
  
“The feeling is mutual, young Avatar,” he grunted. His hand reached for her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes, forcing her to watch her own corruption. She could see the malice in his silver eyes, see the power coursing through the blood vessels in his brain.  
  
“I want you to remember this, Avatar.”  
  
She tried to fight, tried to get her body to move, but her fingers only twitched in response.  
  
“When you hear my voice, I want you to remember the day that I won this war.”  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut to force the tears out of her eyes, but Amon pulled her hair, and they shot open again.  
  
“When you see my mask everywhere you turn, I want you to feel this pain.”  
  
“N-no, no, w-why…”  
  
“I want you to remember that I will _destroy you_.”  
  
As his words echoed against the walls, she felt warmth shoot into her.  
  
The immensity of the situation took hold, and a piercing scream forced its way out of her mouth and into the darkness of the night.  
  
Korra tried not to think as he pulled out of her, tried not to think as his lieutenant dressed her again, tried not to think as Amon pulled her upright and punched into her shoulder, tried not to think as her vision blurred and faded, and tried not to think as his chi-blockers turned and left without another word. Her eyes closing, she hoped she would wake up to find it was a nightmare or just not wake up at all.  
  
…  
  
There was noise and commotion. There were two people, no three around her. They were prodding her like an animal, whispering, shouting, blame, blame, blame.  
  
“…wake up, Korra…”  
  
She could move, but she didn’t want to.  
  
“…Spirits, it smells horrible…”  
  
She could smell it too. It smelled like bodies and fluids and shame/blame/fault/fault/fault.  
  
Korra felt hands (woman’s hands) sit her upright and brush the hair out of her face.  
  
“Korra, you need to respond to me.”  
  
It was Lin. She wondered what she did to deserve Police Chief Lin Beifong actually sounding like she cared and not telling her she was a failure. Korra opened her eyes to see grey hair and green eyes, but the worst part was she looked concerned.  
  
“Are you hurt?”  
  
What a ridiculous question.  
  
She hurt all over. There were bruises on her face, and neck, and arms, and hips, and thighs. Her pelvis felt like it had been ripped in two. Her ego was smattered against the floor and the walls. His mark was left on her body with blood and sex, but they couldn’t tell under her clothes.  
  
“I’m fine,” she choked out and cringed because she was already crying again. The look in her eyes and the tears trailing her cheeks told Lin she was lying (but why would she lie? Korra hardly ever lies). Tenzin crouched down and became inconsolable, blabbering things that were supposed to make her feel better but were falling on deaf ears. Lin was calmer and, for once in her life, soft. She didn’t ask what she already knew had happened, not in front of Tenzin, and certainly not in front of Tarrlok. The broken body, the bruises, the _smell_ was enough to tell her.  
  
It was sickening because this is how they found prostitutes and dancers in the red light district: used up and wilted, nectar on the floor and in their hair. Korra was the Avatar/special/different, but there she was, looking hardly better than a common whore.  
  
Regardless of his abilities to take away benders’ powers, Amon was a terrible man.  
  
“You’ll be fine,” Lin said softly, but it was as unconvincing as Tenzin’s attempts at consolation. Tarrlok just _stared_.  
  
All Korra knew was she wanted to throw up and scrub off her skin. She needed a shower, two or three to be safe but wondered idly if that would be enough to stop her from feeling so vile.  
  
Lin explained to the men that she needed to be taken to the medic at the police station immediately but didn’t say why. Korra didn’t even flinch when she pulled her up to standing but groaned when she was expected to walk.  
  
Tenzin, feeling horrible for being so helpless, had his arm around her back for support because that was all he could really do. The sleep in her limbs and the throbbing between her thighs gave her a limp.  
  
She tucked her head into his shoulder and fought the hiccups escaping from her lips.  
  
As they got on top of Oogie to fly over the golden city, she couldn’t help but stare up at the black sky and admit to herself that he had won.


	2. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Eating Disorders, Purging, Mentions of Rape

“Korra.”

She had been laying on a cot, curled up like a sleeping cat, trying to turn down the thoughts in her head (because they were loud and yelling at her). She felt sick. She wished they would let her go so she could vomit. She wished she could make Lin stop talking to her because didn’t want/deserve compassion.

Korra didn’t move.

Lin slowly made her way over to her. She pulled up a seat and straddled it, her chest pressed to the back of the chair and her arms crossed over the top.

“I know this sucks,” she started, looking at the ground even though Korra was laying facing the wall. “I’m not so great with this kind of thing, so you’ll have to bear with me.”

Korra wondered if Lin would leave if she didn’t move. She didn’t know that Lin wasn’t going to give up on her, so her lack of engagement worried the older woman even more.

“Did he…” Lin took a breath because her heart was beating fast, “…violate you?”

_Of course he did, of course he did_ , Lin chided herself as she watched Korra shutter. She knew how it felt. She knew the isolation, the betrayal. She knew what it was like to not be ready and not have anyone care. _Shit_ , she thought as Korra started to cry again.

Korra turned over and sat up, a surprisingly sour expression etched into her face.

“Can’t you leave me alone?” she muttered, sniffing and trying to leave.

“No,” Lin replied while grabbing her wrist to stop her, “you may think that I’m just a bitter old woman, but I’ve been around.” _I know how this hurts._ “And I know that if he did what I think he did, you need medical attention right now.” Her words were slower and more intense than usual. She really believed what was saying. This was not just police business.

As if she had not been really listening, Korra asked quietly, “How are you going to tell Tenzin?”

Lin’s eyes narrowed like she couldn’t see her clearly. “If you don’t want Tenzin to know, I won’t tell him.”

“He’ll just get mad.”

Out of all the reactions she could’ve had, worrying about Tenzin had not crossed Lin’s mind.

“He won’t be mad,” she said sternly. “If he is, I’ll kick his ass.” Korra finally looked defeated, and Lin stood up, her hand still grasping her wrist firmly. “Let’s get you looked at, okay?”

Korra nodded solemnly, but her dark sense of humor remarked that it would be the second time that day that a man would touch her without her permission.

She kept that musing to herself.

They walked down the hall, Korra declining help this time, and Lin tried to keep her expression hard even though this was pulling on her heart a little more than it probably should have. It just pained her to see such a young girl limping down the hall and holding back tears, yet also going through life with a tough shell like none of this had ever happened.

Sounded like someone she knew.

Korra stopped abruptly, which made Lin flip around.

“Why did you stop?”

The Avatar pointed at the marked door a few feet away.

“Can I use the bathroom?”

Lin frowned.

“Why?” she asked incredulously.

“To pee.”

Lin glared at the Avatar but let her go in the door behind them.

Korra didn’t really need to use the bathroom, but she needed to get everything out. She turned on the water in the sink and went into one of the stalls. Pulling down her pants and using waterbending, she tried to get as much of Amon out of her as she could, but she knew it was too late for that. It was much too late for that.

Once that was done, she dressed herself again, stood up, turned around, and bent over the toilet. Nausea rolled over her, but it wasn’t enough on it’s own. Korra scrunched her eyebrows and apologized to no one in particular before she put two fingers down her throat. It took a few tries, a bit of coughing, and some painful scratches to her throat, but she managed to empty the contents of her stomach in the bowl.

_Whump, whump!_

“What are you doing in there?” Lin asked, pounding on the door to the bathroom.

Korra stood up and flushed the toilet, yelling back, “I’m coming, geez.” With a wash of her hands and a few rinses of her mouth, she opened the door to Lin’s scowling face.

Her eyes narrowed as if she were trying to read her thoughts telepathically.

“I should have you put down for observation,” she growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the hall like a misbehaving child.

“What? Why?”

“I’m not new to the game, _Avatar_.”

Korra stayed silent as if she were feigning innocence. She expected Lin to keep goading her, but instead, they kept marching to the sound of their footsteps echoing through the corridor.

Beifong all but smashed the door to the medic station down and threw Korra at the shocked personnel.

“Rape. Purging. Have fun.”

And the Chief left as quickly as she arrived.

Korra pouted as she was sat down on a table and had questions and medical instruments thrown at her. She tried to answer as little as she could, barely listening when they talked about repercussions, side effects, and mental disorders. Lin’s blatant mistreatment of her was making Korra fume, but mostly because she was mad at herself for getting caught. Both faucets on next time, she mused darkly.

She thought she might go insane in the tiny room, but Tenzin had burst in only a few minutes after the medics were done with a physical exam.

“Oh, Spirits, Korra. Are you okay?”

With a shrug and a grunt, she signaled that she was.

The mousey medic explained what Tenzin should and should not do around Korra, what he should look out for, and what they should expect from an emotionally unstable teen. In hushed whispers, (barely any tearing or signs of trauma), (hardly any genetic evidence), (tendency for self-destructive behavior). She tried to pretend like she couldn’t hear them, but it sure sounded like they were saying, (she didn’t even put up much of a fight), (are you sure it was rape?), (she’s already fucked up if she’s puking).

When Tenzin took her to go back to Air Temple Island, he had a solemn expression. She did too, but she was angry (at who?), and lonely (he was so close to her, yet no physical contact), and she wanted to sleep (maybe not wake up) and forget this ever happened (it can’t bother her if it never happened).

She closed her eyes and pretended to rest until they arrived at the temple.

* * *

Korra found it difficult to drink Tenzin’s tea because her hands were shaking so hard. Once she brought the cup to her lips, the warmth of the tea felt wonderful inside her even though the tension in the air was thick enough to swim in.

They watched her sip her tea, afraid to make a wrong move and see the young Avatar crumple into the little girl she was.

(“It’s probably best not to leave her alone.”)

Without saying any words, Tenzin and Pema’s eyes were goading her to explain, burning into the side of her face, but she didn’t want to speak. Staying silent allowed her to appear strong — strong? Who was she to be strong at a time like this?

For the first time in her life she felt as if Korra and The Avatar were two different people living in the same body.

Be strong. _For what?_ Don’t cry. _Why?_ Get angry. _At who?_

“Korra?”

Tenzin’s stern voice woke her out of the haze that clouded her mind, if only for a moment. She looked up from her empty cup (when had she drank it all?) and met Pema’s eyes, which seemed sympathetic. Or was it pity?

“Did he hurt you, honey?”

Korra didn’t appreciate the doting but knew Pema was only trying to help. As much as she felt she should answer, her throat felt dry even though there was no more tea in her cup. How could she talk if her throat was closed shut? She shook her head and shrugged, hoping they would leave her alone.

The hand that rubbed her back was an indication that they were going to make her say it.

Korra drew a deep breath in. “I-I can’t.”

Tenzin looked at his tea grimly.

Korra thought that she should be crying, but no tears came to her eyes. She shook her head, not even sure if the words were in her vocabulary. What had he done to her? Taken away her innocence? Stolen her spirit? Forced her to see the horror in the world?

None of that felt true. She was scared and shaken, sure. But, she didn’t feel like she could articulate the feeling that strangled her stomach and lungs and throat.

“It’s just something I don’t want to talk about with you.”

The words tasted like metal passing through her teeth.

There was a long pause because Korra couldn’t think of anything more to say, and no one wanted to foot the responsibility for her.

Finally, Pema placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder.

“Korra, honey, we’re not going to be mad.”

( _But I’m the one who arranged the meeting, I’m the one who didn’t fight back, I’m the one who let him take me._ )

She didn’t respond.

The two acolytes shared a look that said, _'we know, you don’t have to say it, we’re so sorry, but why won’t you tell us?'_

Tenzin put a hand on his wife’s shoulder, and Pema got the message. She was up and gone before Korra could even look up from her drink. Tenzin looked like he had been punched in the gut.

“Korra, I’m so sorry.”

Voice unwavering, she muttered, “It’s not your fault.”

There is a mutual understanding between them. Tenzin knew, and Korra wasn’t going to deny it.

“It is my responsibility to take care of you. I should have never allowed you to go through with the challenge.”

“No, it’s my fault. I was reckless.” Her voice had become hard and clinical, as if she wasn’t invested in her own words.

“Korra,” Tenzin’s stern tone made her meet his eyes. “You are not responsible. The victim is never the responsible party.”

Even though he said it with conviction, Korra wondered if he meant it or if he was just saying it for her benefit.

_Then why do I feel so guilty?_ she thought, picking at her nails absentmindedly.

Tenzin frowned hard at her silence. “You have done nothing wrong.”

“I know.” She felt her energy slowly deteriorating as she spoke. “But, the only reason I challenged him in the first place was I thought that facing him would make me less scared.” She paused to wrap her fingers around her teacup. It felt much too hot against her hand. “I was so scared.”

Tenzin wasn’t sure if she was talking about being scared before or during their encounter, or both.

“I just wish I hadn’t been paralyzed. I could have kicked his ass before he laid a finger on me.”

_His fingers. Her body._

Korra could still feel his nails take off her clothes, scratch at her stomach, play with her—

“Can I go to bed now?” she almost gasped out.

The face he gave her said that he probably shouldn’t let her be alone, but he also didn’t want to keep her up all night. ”If you must.”

Her arms wrapped around her stomach, half because she was cold and half because she was paranoid.

Pema had come back into the room, waddling with child.

“You don’t have to face this alone, y’know. We’re here for you.”

Korra flinched from a combination of everyone’s empathy and her sore muscles when she stood. She didn’t look at Pema, only bowed very deep, so deep that her hamstrings screamed at her to stop.

“Thank you.”

Her comment seemed out of context for the situation, but before Pema could ask why was she making this so painful, Korra hauled out of there.

Before she went to bed, she went to the showers and sat under the steady stream of scalding water, wondering how long it would take to burn off the shame that clung to her skin.


	3. The Newspaper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of rape

“Where’s Korra?” Bolin asked, throwing a fifteen pound ball at his brother’s chest.  
  
Mako caught it with ease, tossing it back just a moment later. “I don’t know. Probably doing special ops missions again.”  
  
“No offense to Korra, but she did sign up to the Fire Ferrets first.”  
  
“Yeah, but it’s hard to argue with Councilman Tarrlok.”  
  
“True.”  
  
Breathless, Korra burst into the gym not even five seconds later. “Well, speak of the devil,” Mako smiled.  
  
“Korra!” Bolin exclaimed, running over and throwing his arms around her. “We’ve missed you!”  
  
She breathed in and sunk into Bolin’s hug. It was warm and safe, and she had no idea how much she had missed honest affection from her friends.  
  
“I missed you too, Bolin.”  
  
When he let go, some of her resolve stuck to his arms. Why couldn’t they just protect her forever—?  
  
“I thought you’d be a no-show today,” Mako commented, walking over to the two.  
  
“Yeah, I actually snuck away to be here,” she half smiled. “Don’t tell Tenzin.”  
  
“Oh, so you’re supposed to be with Tarrlok right now?”  
  
Not exactly, but that was easier to explain. “Yeah, I think I might tell him that I’m done with the Task Force for a while.”  
  
“More time to focus on pro-bending!” Bolin hooted, putting his arms around both Mako and Korra’s shoulders.  
  
“Yeah,” Korra beamed, flashing a smile that she hoped would seem convincing enough for them not to ask questions.  
  
They began to throw their respective elements at each other, just like they had been doing before she took her leave of absence from the team. It was wonderful for keeping her mind occupied. Surprisingly, throwing water as hard as she could was great for anger management. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she could forget last night ever happened.  
  
She figured she just needed to stop feeling sorry for herself.  
  
Korra really did considered herself lucky in the grand scheme of things. She got to be a pro-bender with some of the most talented, funny, awesome guys she had ever met. Plus, even though Mako didn’t show interest in her ever since Asami came into the picture, there was nothing wrong with just looking, right?  
  
Although, her attraction to him seemed to be dampened considerably since the last time she saw him. It used to be that just the sight of him sent her heart into a frenzy, her mind racing, but that flutter made her nervous now. It was unpleasant. She used to think about his hands on her body, but now—  
  
— _His hands. Her body._  
  
“Look alive, Korra!”  
  
Bolin took advantage of her dazed look and flung a rock-disc in her direction. She barely dodged it, but even being snapped out of a daze didn’t diminish Korra’s reflexes. With a forward roll and a slide under a gust of fire, she sent a whip of water, which knocked Bolin off his feet.  
  
“Wow, nice,” Bolin laughed as he got off the ground, but Korra wasn’t listening because she was distracted by the loud jazz blaring from the radio.  
  
“Yeah, for taking so much time off, you haven’t gotten rusty,” Mako complimented. “I think we’ll be ready for tomorrow if we keep it up.”  
  
“I know you guys will be ready because I have these for you~”  
  
Asami had managed to materialize into the room during their practice without anyone noticing, and she brought presents with her.  
  
“Look! It’s your new uniforms!” She held up the red, gold, and white shirts that sported a brand new Future Industries logo.  
  
“Wow, ‘sami! Those look great!” Mako said enthusiastically. He walked over to inspect the uniforms, but was distracted when Asami began to shmooze, “You look great, champ!” Korra frowned at their PDA and pretended like she wasn’t embarrassed when Asami and Mako touched noses gingerly.    
  
“You two could get a room,” she muttered under her breath. The love birds didn’t seem to hear her, but Bolin chuckled and playfully punched her shoulder in agreement.  
  
“Well, we’ll see you kids tonight before the match,” Mako said, an arm around Asami’s small shoulders.  
  
“Where are you guys going?” Korra asked, exasperated that practices weren’t longer than ninety minutes. She walked over to the radio and turned it off.  
  
“Asami and I have a lunch date.”  
  
“Okay, we’ll catch you later!” Bolin waved, a huge smile on his face. He turned to Korra, but she had already sat down on the side of the gym room, arms propped up on her knees, head hung down to her chest. “Hey, why the long face?”  
  
Korra looked up and saw Bolin walking over to her.  
  
“I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”  
  
“Nightmares?”  
  
She smiled, though the comment a little dark in context, and said, “You could say that.”  
  
“You can tell me if you’re bothered by something. They don’t call me Bolin — Love Doctor — for nothing.”  
  
Korra couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s quirky charm.  
  
“In fact, let’s go to lunch! I know this awesome Water Tribe place just a few blocks from here. It can be whatever you want it to be: a date, not a date, or a date if you’d like, but—”  
  
His words scared her, made her think of intimacy, made her think—  
  
— _Those eyes. That mask._  
  
“I-I don’t know, Bolin. I don’t feel very date worthy—“  
  
“Are you kidding? You’re amazing, Korra! You’re super pretty, and smart, and buff, and pretty much the most awesome girl in the world—!“  
  
“Wait,” she paused, actually feeling a little warmth in her chest, “you really think that way about me?”  
  
“Of course! And you only deserve the best food and the most charming guy around.” He bowed to her just to give an example of how charming he was.  
  
Korra gave a small smile. With those puppy dog eyes and that enthusiasm, how could she not?  
  
“Alright, you win this time, Bolin.”

The restaurant was more like a small dive than an actual restaurant, but as the server put a bowl of seaweed noodles in front of her, she had to agree that it smelled like home.  
  
“I’m glad you agreed to come out with me, Korra,” Bolin beamed, his green eyes shining with excitement.  
  
“Hey, no problem, it sure smells great in here.” She grabbed some noodles with her chopsticks, but one bite was enough to make her stomach turn, so she set her utensils down and turned her attention to Bolin.  
  
“This is my favorite joint. Great noodles, great atmosphere,” he gushed, slurping up his noodles with glee.  
  
“It is pretty authentic, I’ll give you that.”  
  
Just what Bolin wanted to hear. “I told you it was a great place! We both just have great taste in food. That’s another reason we’d go so great together.”  
  
She smiled, but had to resort to small talk to keep herself from saying something rude, “So, how have you been?”  
  
“Great! Y’know, just practicing. The usual,” his enthusiasm for their discussion almost equalled his enthusiasm towards his noodles. “How ‘bout you? Any good fights on Tarrlok’s Task Force lately?”  
  
She frowned, looking over Bolin’s shoulder absentmindedly.  
  
“I don’t know. We’ve busted a few chi-blocker training sites,” she mumbled, stirring her noodles around and around and around. Her heart beat faster when “chi-blocker” left her lips.  
  
“Sounds exciting. Even though you did miss a couple of practices, it sounds like you’re livin’ the life.”  
  
Korra let a small smile peak out of her nervousness. “Yep, that’s me. Living the life…” In her daze she managed to spot a group of scary looking teenagers. “Hey, who’re those creepy guys that keep leering at us?”  
  
Her question seemed to suck the fun out of Bolin’s features. “Oh, that’s Tahno and the Wolf Bats, the reigning champs, three years running.” He held out three with his fingers to illustrate his point. Korra just glared at them as they snickered in her general direction. “Don’t make eye conact,” Bolin advised.  
  
“Too late,” Korra growled as the Wolf posse got up to walk over to their table.  
  
“Oh no, here he comes. Don’t mess with this guy, he’s a nasty dude.” Bolin practically dunked his head in his bowl and gobbled his noodles with extra vigor.  
  
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Fire Ferrets, pro-bending’s saddest excuse for a team. Tell me, how did a couple of amateurs like you make it into the tournament?” he drawled. Tahno’s beady black eyes flicked over to Korra, a gross smirk crossing his pale face. “Especially you, Avatar.”  
  
She stood and pointed a finger in his face. “Listen bub—“  
  
“Especially since you seem to be spending all your time playing around with Amon.” Korra wondered if Tahno could see the blood drain from her face. Slowly, she sank back into her chair, hands grabbing the table.  
  
Bolin’s eyes dulled as he watched his friend go from strong willed to subdued in the matter of seconds.  
  
“Don’t look so surprised. It’s a wonder you’re even out and about after last night.”  
  
She blinked a couple of times to try to figure out if she was dreaming or not. Underneath the table, her hands balled into fists.  
  
“What the hell are you talking about?” Korra growled, hoping to the Spirits that he was just bluffing.  
  
“Don’t you read the paper?” Tahno snapped his fingers and held out his hand. One of his cronies placed a rolled up newspaper into his palm, which he slapped down in front of the Avatar, flipping his hair in the process.  
  
Bolin and Korra collectively gasped at the cover story.  
  
‘ _AVATAR VS AMON: KORRA IN OVER HER HEAD?_ ’  
  
Under the headline appeared a picture of Korra’s horrified face and her scrambling body as she was dragged into the museum.  
  
Korra covered her mouth in shock. There must have been a photographer on Aang’s statue that night, and they caught the picture right before she was swallowed by the dark mouth of the building.  
  
There was rushing in her ears. She just barely heard Bolin yelling something at Tanho. Her one hand was still positioned over her mouth, the other clutching the table, and her eyes were clenched shut.  
  
It was obvious that the nightmare was nowhere near over.  
  
“—orra? Korra? Are you alright? Korra?”  
  
Bolin shook her shoulder, worry smattered on his face like bad makeup.  
  
She breathed out an unsteady breath, shaking her head to clear the fog from her brain. Bolin interpreted that as “no, I’m not okay,” which was probably an appropriate assumption to make.  
  
“It’s okay, Tanho’s gone. I scared him off for ya.” But when Korra didn’t say anything, he frowned. “Korra, what happened?” She finally opened her eyes, but she still didn’t speak, worried that her voice would break and she’d spill tears in her noodles.  
  
“Let me get us some tea,” he suggested, hailing the waiter and ordering the strongest tea they had.  
  
Korra wondered why people kept giving her tea. Was it supposed to make the discussion easier, or was it just buying time?  
  
When the waiter came over to pour their beverages, he saw the headline and picture, saw Korra’s spooked expression, and said, “Your meal is on the house.”  
  
“Oh, thank you so much!” Bolin exclaimed, secretly thankful because he didn’t have that much cash on him.  
  
Korra wrapped her hands around the cup, the same thing she did the night before, and felt the hot porcelain burn her fingers.  
  
— _His fingers_.  
  
“Korra, what happened to you? Why didn’t you tell us about this?” Bolin honestly looked so worried, it gave her pains in her stomach.  
  
“I don’t know, I’m sorry, I—“  
  
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault.”  
  
 _Why do people keep saying that to me? It’s all my fault that people are worried about me._ Korra thought, tracing the rim of the cup with her finger.  
  
“I was stupid. I challenged Amon to a one-on-one battle,” she explained with very little emotion. “He didn’t come alone. He ambushed me, chi-blocked me, cornered me—“  
  
 _His hands. Her legs. The pain._  
  
“—I was stupid.”  
  
“Korra…”  
  
“He sent his message loud and clear,” Korra said a little too loudly, letting her eyes fall to her own horrified expression on the page.  
  
“Are you alright?” Bolin asked, leaning forward so he could talk quieter. “If you can’t stay on the team, it’s fine, I’m sure Mako would understand—“  
  
Sharply, her head snapped up so their eyes were level. “No, I can play. I like it, keeps my mind clear.”  
  
As she was speaking, Bolin started to notice the bruises on Korras arms, around her wrists, on her shoulder, on her neck. He gave her a sad look and wished they were close enough that he could put his hand over hers.  
  
“Hey, cheer up,” Korra smiled, “We can’t be doom and gloom all the time.” She tossed back the last on her tea, grabbed the newspaper, and stood up. “C’mon, we have a match to win.”

* * *

“What the fuck, Tarrlok.”  
  
Said Councilman looked up from his desk to see Chief Beifong with a newspaper in her hand.  
  
“Ah, Lin, how nice of you to—“  
  
“Cut the shit.” She smacked the paper down on his desk and glared daggers into his face. “You fucked up this time.” He glanced down, and Korra’s petrified face stared back at him.  
  
“Spirits.”  
  
Beifong got in his face and hissed, “This is your fault, you imbecile!”  
  
Tarrlok’s face drained of color. He picked up the paper and glanced over it.  
  
“How is it my fault?“  
  
“Tenzin told me everything last night,” she growled. “I didn’t think I needed to approve your task force’s every move, but now I’m furious I didn’t! You let her challenge Amon alone with no support? How could you be so idiotic?”  
  
“Technically, this was an unofficial operation. I tried to stop her, but she insisted—“  
  
“She’s a seventeen-year-old girl. You are a grown man. Since when do you let her call the shots?”  
  
“I didn’t think that Amon would escalate so suddenly—“  
  
“And there’s the problem, Tarrlok. You never think. You have compromised our mission to keep this city safe while simultaneously scarring a young girl.”  
  
For once, Tarrlok had been stunned into silence. This had not been part of his plan. He didn’t think Amon would have the guts to show up let alone lay a finger on the girl. How was he supposed to anticipate such a thing?  
  
“I’m disbanding your task force,” Lin stated, snatching the newspaper from his grasp.  
  
“What? You can’t!”  
  
“I damn well can, and I’m going to do everything in my power to get your ass thrown off the council.”  
  
Lin stormed out and slammed the door, leaving Tarrlok frazzled and angry.  
  
The Avatar was going to be the end of him.  
  
It did spook him considerably that his lack of oversight allowed for Amon to capture her, and true, he had let her get assaulted (he keep thinking of the way she lay crumpled on the ground, it played over and over in his head like a twisted mover), but it wasn’t his fault. He could not have stopped her. She was committed to challenging him no matter what.  
  
(Even though he had goaded her to join the task force in the first place.)  
  
“Shit.”  
  
Now, he had to completely reorganize his plan while also doing damage control.  
  
“See what you do, Avatar?” Tarrlok asked no one in particular.  
  
After a heavy sigh, he picked up the phone and began to dial.


	4. The Admission

Pro-bending was exhilarating.

Korra had listened to the radio as a child, and besides jazz, which was probably her favorite thing (especially to train to), pro-bending tournaments had always caught her ear. During her long tedious training sessions with Katara, she pretended she was fighting along side her favorite teams, landing combos and knockouts as the announcer cheered her on.

Now that she was actually a pro-bender, the excitement was different. It was more like a tension in her chest. She actually experienced the feeling of performing in front of thousands of people rather than purely fighting. The adrenaline was amazing, but it was not the same as the adrenaline of winning in combat. Nevertheless, it still made her feel powerful as she knocked the team off the platform and heard their satisfying _splash!_ below.

This was only her second match with the Fire Ferrets, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous. Not that Korra minded, though, because a little nerves was never a bad thing. She usually did better when she had a knot in her stomach.

“Ready to win?” Bolin asked, throwing Korra her head gear from the closet.

“You know it!”

“Good because we need the winnings,” Mako said half jokingly. Korra didn’t know whether to laugh or not because she didn’t want to seem like too much of a bitch.

“Well, that’s true. But we also should go out and have a good time, right?” Bolin looked like he was ready to rile up some pro-benders, so Korra nodded in agreement.

They made their way to the platform where they would be shipped off to the main stage.

“Okay, team huddle time.”

They crowded in, hands over each others' backs, faces very close to each other. As much as Korra wasn’t a big fan of intimacy at the moment, Mako’s proximity made her nervousness expand in her belly.

“We can take these guys okay? Practice went great this morning, and as long as we work together, this should be cake walk,” Mako explained, ignoring Korra’s goofy smile and Bolin’s puppy eyes. He sighed. “Could you two focus for a sec?”

“I am focusing,” Korra muttered.

He let out an unamused " _tch_ " before saying, “Okay, well, let’s kick some ass.”

They broke apart when the platform started moving.

“Introducing: the Future Industry’s Fire Ferrets!!”

The sheer amount of people cheering for them was amazing. The sound ricocheted and echoed around and around, making her a little dizzy. It was going to take Korra a few more matches to get used to it.

Their opponents looked fierce. However, Bolin had mentioned that the Rabaroos were not exactly the most consistent team (not that the Fire Ferrets were or anything, she laughed to herself), so if they were having an off day, they could probably bring them down fairly easily.

“Round One!”

Korra gripped her hands into fists and assumed her fighting stance.

“Go!!”

Elements flew. Ducking, bending, throwing, blocking — already she could feel that they were on their game tonight and the Rabaroos were not. They were landing almost every attack one after another.

_Fshh—_

A rock disc flew by her head, but she twisted around in pure airbender fashion and shot a slingshot of water at the guy in retaliation. The offense knocked him off his feet and pushed him back into the third zone.

“Fire Ferrets win round one!”

“Yes!” Korra beamed, giving Bolin a high five.

“Round two!”

It didn’t take long to push all of them back into the second zone. The round pretty much was owned by the Fire Ferrets once again.

The bell _ding dinged_.

“Round three!”

Although the Fire Ferrets were still overpowering the Rabaroos, they were getting a few more hits off than before. Bolin was a bit slow on dodging some fire, which knocked him into Korra. Korra slid out of the way only to get hit in the shoulder and stomach with earth-discs.

The blow made her stumble and, frankly, didn’t help the nausea that had been rising from her gut ever since the Tahno fiasco. Nevertheless, she fired back water, and Mako shot a few fire blasts, which was enough to pummel the team and having them flying into the water below.

“And that’s a knock out!!”

“The Fire Ferrets win!”

“Woo!!” Bolin cheered as they came in for a group hug.

“That was great teamwork, guys,” Mako complimented, squeezing his teammates shoulders.

“Yeah, I thought that was our best game so far!” said Korra, smiling from ear to ear.

They walked off the stage after some celebratory fist pumping and thumbs up to the audience. They took off their head gear, but to Korra’s dismay, Asami was already in the prep-room with her own beaming smile.

“Congratulations, guys! You were so amazing out there!” Asami gushed. She ran over to Mako and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Thanks, ‘sami.”

Korra cringed. She didn’t know if she actually wanted to ask Mako out or not, but now it wasn’t even an option.

“And Korra,” Asami turned to her, her wavy hair flipping over her shoulder in the process, “you really made some great recoveries. Except that last hit you took looked pretty bad, are you okay?”

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Was she trying to belittle her performance? “I’m great, thanks for asking. But, I didn’t get hit that hard.” Except now that she thought about it, her stomach did hurt pretty bad, and the twinge in her chest that she thought were butterflies now seemed to have turned into nausea.

“That’s good! I was worried because you really had such an impressive match. Compared to where you were a week ago, I didn’t even know if I was watching the same person!”

Korra blinked at her enthusiasm. If she was trying to be facetious, she was either really bad at it or it was incredibly hard to tell. Even her eyes seemed to be shining more than usual. What was she trying to pull—?

“We. Are. Awesome!” Bolin came over and bear-hugged Korra and Mako so hard, he lifted them off the ground. Normally, this would have been fine, but she was already feeling sick and that much pressure on her stomach did not help.

When Bolin set her down, she felt a cold sweat break out. Mako noticed the color drain from her face.

“Hey, Korra? Are you…”

She blinked a couple of times and put her hand on her forehead.

“Man, is it hot in here or is it just me?”

Asami wasted no time. She raced over and threw her arm around her shoulder. As if the support zapped the energy from her body, Korra stumbled backwards into Asami’s chest, a groan escaping from the Avatar’s lips. Asami sat her down on the bench and motioned for Bolin to get her some water.

“Listen, I’m fine,” she murmured, trying to push away Asami. “Really, I’m just dehydrated or something.”

Bolin crouched down in front of her and handed her a water bottle.

“Maybe you should take it easy for a while—“

“And lose us the championship?” Korra leaned forward and glared, “No way.” She swallowed the water, but instead of it making her feel better, it seemed to unsettle her stomach even further. She was embarrassed at the deteriorating control she had over her own body.

The dizziness and nausea returned in full force, and the Avatar scrambled to get up.

“Korra, what’s—“

Before Mako had a chance to finish his sentence, she ran out of the room.

Running down the hall with her hands over her mouth, she slammed the door open for the bathroom. Once in the stall, she dropped to her knees and threw up what little she had in her stomach.

Even though it was a physical relief to get that out of her system (not that there was much to get out in the first place), her face was burning hot with embarrassment. How could this have happened? She could count on one hand the amount of times she had been physically sick before (without her making herself that way), so this was not a normal reaction to her nerves.

It only took a few minutes for Asami to come into the bathroom.

She lightly rapped on the stall Korra was throwing up in.

“Hey Korra, are you okay?”

She stood up, embarrassment flooding her body. For a second, she stared at the wall to make sure she wasn’t going to retch again, but it seemed like her body was done. A few moments passed before Korra could bolster her voice enough to say, “Yeah, I’m okay,” without sounding like she was lying.

“Korra. I know this is none of my business, but did something happen?”

Asami was aware of the latest headline to be plastered on the front page of the newspaper featuring her friend, and she hadn’t thought much of it until she saw the almost visceral reaction she was having to physical injury. It was reminiscent of a trauma victim…not that she would know.

Instead of answering, Korra opened the stall after flushing away her shame and caught Asami’s worried stare.

“Don’t tell the boys.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“I would never.”

Korra walked to the sink, washed her hands and her mouth before standing up straight and looking at herself in the mirror.

“It was Amon.”

“Did he…?” Asami wondered aloud, trying to alleviate the responsibility from Korra. She didn’t want to react prematurely, but she had a feeling where this was going.

“Yeah.”

She didn’t say anything, just walked over to Korra and placed a hand on her shoulder. The physical contact made Korra whip around and lock Asami in an embrace. It was like they were speaking a secret language, and Asami had just pulled on Korra’s heart strings. She wanted someone’s arms to tell her she was alright, and Asami’s happened to be the closest available.

The contact was new and welcoming, and so Asami placed her head on top of Korra’s. She smelled like incense and leaves, and Asami wondered if that was what Air Temple Island smelled like.

Korra couldn’t help but admit to herself that she felt safe in Asami’s arms. Her head nuzzled against the older girl’s neck seemed almost like they were meant to fit together. The idea made Korra’s cheeks grow hot even though she wasn’t sure exactly why.

Why couldn’t all her interactions be this genuine?

“I know it sucks right now, but it gets better.”

Korra pulled away from Asami, looking at her porcelain skin and crystal clear green eyes, and remembered a thought that had jumped in her head the night before.

“Was your first time better than mine?”

The honesty of her question was absolutely heartbreaking. The way she looked at her made Asami’s stomach bottom out, and she wished that Korra had been joking. However, those bright teal eyes of hers were wide and frightened, almost if searching for an excuse to justify how horrible she felt on the inside.

Asami gave her a sad smile and brushed the stray hair out of her face, wishing she had a better answer to give her. “It was probably better than yours, but not by much. It’s never fun to say, ‘no,’ and have no one care.”

“But how could anyone want to hurt you?”

“I could ask you the same.”

Asami wanted to ask, How could someone normally so strong look so damn sad?

_Knock, knock._

“Hey, is everything all right in there?” Bolin’s voice could be heard through the door of the women’s room.

“Yeah, we’ll be right out!” Asami hollered back. She turned to Korra and asked with soothing tone, “Will you be alright?”

As if the past few minutes hadn’t happened, stoic features stared back at her and a clinical voice forced out, “I’m always alright.”

Something about her words sent a sense of grief through Asami’s body, but Korra pushed past her and out the door before she had recovered. When Asami did come out of the bathroom, she walked back to the prep-room to see Korra trying to explain her sickness without being a complete downer.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that,” she nervously laughed, but then cringed, running a hand through her hair.

“Geez, Korra, I thought you said you didn’t get hit that hard.”

“I-I didn’t think I did. Maybe it was from lunch or something.”

“But, I didn’t get sick, and we ate the same thing.”

Bolin’s eyes were dark and worried. Not only had she been acting weird all day, but physical symptoms usually meant high levels of anxiety. He should know, he used to have terrible anxiety when he was younger and living out on the streets. Sometimes, to get any food at all, they had to do some risky things, and unfortunately, he often puked up the very food that made him so upset in the first place.

“I don’t know,” she muttered, rubbing her arm. “Hey, don’t let me ruin your celebration.” Korra smiled weakly, like she was losing the energy to pretend she was okay. “I think I’m going to go home.”

“No way you’re leaving without an escort,” Bolin interjected.

“No, really, Bolin, I’m fine.”

“I don’t want to see you sick and alone on the streets, Korra.” His puppy-dog eyes were coming back, which made her sigh.

“Fine. But, I don’t know if I have the energy to be very nice,” she teased, but only because she really didn’t feel very good, and she didn’t want Bolin to expect this to be a date or something.

“Well, geez, Korra. I hope you feel better,” Mako frowned, looking at Asami leaning in the doorway.

“Me too,” Korra chuckled, taking off her gear and stashing it in the closet. “I’ll be there for practice bright and early, though. Unless I’m bleeding out of my eyes, I’ll be there.” It was supposed to be a joke, but no one laughed.

“See ya, guys,” Bolin waved after putting his gear away too.

Mako and Asami waved, Asami giving a small, sympathetic smile as Korra and Bolin left the room.

_Clack, clack, clack._

Their steps echoed in the empty hallway, only the barely audible cheering of the spectators to help fill the space.

When they got outside the arena and into the night, Bolin turned to Korra and watched her face. She looked almost a little cross.

“Hey, Korra?”

She just grunted in response, her outline illuminated by the street lamps.

“Are you—“

“Am I okay? Did you know I’ve heard that like a million times today? Kind of sick of it to be honest.”

She whistled and Naga came bounding from around the corner, a floppy tongue greeting them both with slobber. As she was petting her polar bear dog, Bolin said, “Well, I’m only asking because I care about you.”

“Look, I got that,” she huffed, getting on top of Naga. “But, it’s really none of your business. Contrary to popular belief, I can take care of myself.

Bolin stood there and frowned.

“Honestly, it’s not a big deal. I messed up last night, and I’m paying for it today. That’s all you need to know.”

“But, Korra—“

“Goodnight, Bolin.”

And Naga ran off, leaving Bolin standing under a streetlamp, ego crushed just a little bit.

* * *

“Korra, where have you been?” Tenzin frowned as she and Naga came out of the water. “We’ve been worried sick! I was about a minute away from calling Lin.”

At first she shrugged, but after a few moments, she admitted, “Pro-bending.”

Tenzin sighed, not wanting to upset her, but thinking he could still reign her in.

“Korra, you really should be resting—“

“So, I can sit around and mope?” She got off Naga and started walking her forward. “No thanks.”

“I’m not saying you can’t participate in the matches, but you are really not in a stable enough condition to play, and considering how fast Amon is escalating—“

Korra’s head snapped to look at him, a bit of shock apparent in her eyes. She gripped Naga’s fur, trying to pretend like Amon’s name didn’t—

— _His mask. His voice._

“You think he’s going to crash the arena?”

Tenzin frowned and came close enough to her that she could put his hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know, but I just want you to be careful. It won’t hurt to rest for a couple of days”

She looked up at his blue eyes and tried to smile, but to Tenzin, it looked forced and pained.

“I can take care of myself, Tenzin.”

The dark circles under her eyes and the slight tremor in her hand was proving otherwise.

“I know,” he murmured. “I just want you to know that you’re not alone.”

“I know I’m not alone. Everyone’s been really nice…”

“Would you like to join us for dinner?” he offered, both of them walking to the temple.

She shook her head, looking at the ground. The taste of bile still hung in the back of her throat. She figured she would probably be puking if she had anything in her stomach to actually puke. “Nah, I’m just going to meditate, I think.”

“You hate meditating.”

She shrugged and looked up at him. “People change.”

Tenzin swallowed, patting her on the shoulder again. “I understand why you feel upset—“

Something about his words made her very angry. How dare he say how she feels? Why was everyone getting in her business today? “I’m not upset! Do I look upset?” Korra shouted as she stopped walking abruptly. He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to answer that question because now she certainly did look aggravated. “I’m fine, and if everyone would stop babying me, I could get on with my life.”

She stormed off, leaving Tenzin and Naga in the courtyard. The polar bear dog nuzzled him and growled affectionately.

“I know, Naga. I feel the same way.”

* * *

Korra sat in her room cross-legged on the floor. With her fists pressed together and her eyes closed, she tried to let her mind separate from her body.

It was hard though. For some reason, the floor was too cold, but the air was too hot. Her stomach growled with hunger, but the thought of eating made her nauseous. Her mind was restless, but she didn’t want to think.

She was never going to be able to meditate if she didn’t keep her thoughts under control.

Breathe in, breathe out, she told herself.

That was working well enough. Focusing on her breathing was nice. It was actually calming her down.

_Sokka, Toph, a man in a nice suit, Aang—_

Korra gasped, pressing her hand to her forehead. What was that? A hallucination? A vision?

Freaked out, she got up off the floor and sat on her bed. She was telling herself that she wasn’t going crazy. This was just a side-effect of psychological trauma.

Was it?

Her shaking hands took the fabric out of her hair, letting it bounce against her back gently. She wanted to take off her clothes and get more comfortable, but to tell the truth, she was afraid.

Korra was afraid of the sensation of her clothes leaving her skin again. She was afraid of being bare. She was afraid of seeing the marks on her body, the proof that she had been taken advantage of, the proof that she had been helpless and vulnerable. She already felt sore. She didn’t need to see it too.

Half of her wanted to walk into Tenzin’s room and start crying, just so she could have comforting arms around her. She had always heard that girls who were raped didn’t want to be touched by anyone afterwards, but all she wanted to do was have her friends give her physical contact. Being shut in her room with the hot summer air made her feel so very alone. She was stuck with her thoughts, and her thoughts were much worse than having Tenzin and Pema haranguing her.

As a compromise to her racing mind, she removed the fur from her waist and the boots from her feet. That way she could be more comfortable, but she wouldn’t have to be naked.

All of a sudden, though, she became very thirsty. Korra hadn’t had anything to drink since lunch, even though she had participated in a pro-bending match and became sick, so naturally her mouth felt dry. Slowly, she made her way out her door and down the hall to the bathroom.

She turned on the sink, cupped her hands under the faucet, and drank as much as she could without getting sick. It took several minutes for her to get enough water, and after, her stomach sloshed like the harbor surrounding the island.

It was almost painful for her to stand straight up, and when she did, she met her own eyes in the mirror.

The girl staring back at her looked nervous, not scared and not broken, but nervous. Korra touched her lips, which were pale and chapped, noticed she was sweating, saw the bruises on her neck. She looked like a sad, sad case, especially because the girl in the mirror had started to quietly cry.

Clutching the sink and dropping her head so she couldn’t watch herself anymore, her quiet whimpering soon became clearly audible sobs. Maybe crying would expel the negative energy she was accumulating in her chest. It almost felt freeing to let her emotions go, but she was more afraid that she wouldn’t stop than she was of letting people know she was hurting.

After a few minutes, Korra calmed down enough to keep her emotions in check. She needed to try to sleep even just a little bit, and standing in the bathroom all night wasn’t going to help.

When she opened the bathroom door, to her dismay, Jinora was standing right in front of her.

“Oh, Jinora—“

The young girl’s face looked spooked, almost as if Korra was a spirit emmerging from the Spirit World.

“Are you okay, Korra?”

Internally, she groaned at hearing that sentence again. A small, insincere smile was all she could manage because her face was still puffy and red.

“Of course, I was just getting some water.”

The little airbender didn’t believe her for a second.

“Why were you crying?”

The sadness in Jinora’s voice made Korra feel guilty. Once again, she began thinking that maybe she should stop feeling sorry for herself for the sake of everyone else.

“I’m just stressed out, that’s all. I have another match tomorrow and everything.”

Jinora frowned because she had overheard her mom and dad talking about Korra being hurt and refusing to eat. Having caught Korra sobbing in the bathroom did nothing to reassure her.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Korra crouched down so she could get to eye level with the young girl. “I promise, I’m just fine. I don’t want to worry you.” Jinora didn’t believe her but still gave her a hug just to be comforting. “You should go to bed, young lady. It’s super late.”

She laughed and said, “I had to use the bathroom.”

“Knock yourself out kid.”

Jinora nodded and opened the door. “Goodnight, Korra.”

“Goodnight, Jinora.”

The young girl disappeared into the bathroom, and Korra found her way back to her own room. She slowly got into bed, pulling the covers over her head because it made her feel that much safer.


	5. The Return

Her bed felt so comfortable that she didn’t want to move. It was like her room had turned into the sky, and she was resting on a cloud.

Korra’s mind was groggy, and she couldn’t open her eyes.

“ _Good girl._ ”

Panic shot through her body, adrenaline pumping her blood forcefully, but she still couldn’t open her eyes. She could feel hands on her body, reaching under her bindings

“No, no, no,” she rasped, squirming in her bed and trying to push away the presence looming over her.

“ _Calm down, Korra, I’m not going to hurt you._ ”

It seemed like he was telling the truth because his hands were softly caressing her skin, his touch almost kind.

“Get away from—” she gasped as pleasure radiated from just below her stomach, “—me…” She felt horrible as a moan escaped her lips, but her body was responding regardless of whether she wanted it to or not.

Pleasure built up like a ball of tension in her pelvis, and she squirmed to get it to stop.

“ _You can’t run from me—_ “

She groaned and wished she was strong enough to resist her body’s natural reactions.

“ _I can make you want me, young Avatar._ ”

“No!!”

Korra shot up in bed, hands clutching her blanket, pleasure rolling over her. She looked around wildly, but there was no one in the room with her and no signs her surroundings had changed during the night. However, Korra’s hand found its way over her mouth, embarrassed, because she realized she just had a wet dream featuring her rapist.

She rubbed her legs together, uncomfortable because of the moisture between her thighs, and looked out the window. Pushing the dream to the recesses over her mind, she noted that the sun would be rising soon, which meant she should probably get ready to go to the gym. It took pretty long to get across the bay with Naga anyway.

After getting her shoes on, Korra snuck out of her room, hoping Tenzin wouldn’t be around to lecture her on not sleeping or not eating or whatever else he could possibly lecture her about.

When she got out and over to Naga, her tail wagged as she seemed excited to see her. It seemed like the negative mood she was in yesterday had been affecting her polar bear dog slightly the night before.

“Morning, Naga,” Korra whispered so she didn’t wake anyone, “I missed you too.” She laughed when it licked her face. “Ready for some exercise?”

With a happy growl, Naga flattened to her stomach to allow Korra to get on, and then she raced into the water, a floppy tongue bouncing in the breeze.

* * *

 “Wow, you’re here early,” Mako waved at Korra who had already started practicing. Bolin followed in a moment later and waved, “Morning, Korra.” However, she noted his greeting was much less excited than it had been the day before. Maybe Bolin was still mad about her reaction last night. She had warned him she wasn’t in a good mood, hadn’t she?  
  
“Hey, you guys!” Korra greeted, putting her water back in her satchel. “Ready for tonight?”  
  
“You bet! We’re going to take those Wolf Bats down!” Bolin exclaimed, punching his fist into an open hand for emphasis. Okay, maybe he wasn’t so mad after all.  
  
“I’m ready to smack Tahno’s stupid hair off his stupid face,” Korra growled.  
  
“Well, we’re not going to beat anyone by just standing around and talking,” Mako said, going over and turning on the morning Music Hour.  
  
“Yeah, I love this song,” she said, running in place as a way of getting her heart rate up from the get-go.  
  
“Same. There’s nothing like some great music to make early morning practice a tad bit more tolerable,” Mako chuckled, setting up the net and pictures of Tahno to catch their attacks and boost their moral.  
  
“You like jazz, too?”  
  
“Of course, who doesn’t?”  
  
Korra practically swooned. What’s better than a guy with great music tastes? Her crush was back in full force already.  
  
“Ahem!” Bolin cleared his throat when he saw Korra’s love eyes, “Don’t we only have an hour practice this morning? We should really get started.”  
  
“Whatever,” Mako grumbled, waving his brother off.  
  
Fortunately, the rest of the training session went rather well. They were still on their game, but it was still a bit worrying that they were going to go up against such a difficult and well versed team such as the Wolf Bats. Was their best going to be good enough?  
  
Korra certainly thought so.  
  
“Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don’t care if we are the underdogs, we can take those pompous Wolf Bats,” Korra bragged, taking off her helmet.  
  
“It’s going to be our toughest match ever, but I think you’re right,” Mako agreed, also taking his helmet off and wiping the sweat from her brow.  
  
Bolin threw an arm around Mako and imitated the announcer’s voice, “Introducing your new champs, the amazing Fire Ferrets!” They all broke into laughter, hoping Bolin’s joke rang true tonight.  
  
It had been such a nice morning. It had been so great. Finally, Korra was able to feel normal again with some help from these guys. She thought she was going to have a nice, positive day.  
  
But, Amon had other plans.

There was an eruption of static that caught the three benders off guard, their heads whipping around to the infernal contraption that had so rudely interrupted their team pep-talk. After a few minutes of silence, his words rang through the room, hitting Korra right in the chest.  
  
“ _Good morning, citizens of Republic City_.”  
  
Her heart bottomed out the instant his voice crackled over the radio. A stifled gasp of “No,” tumbled frown her open mouth, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.  
  
“ _This is Amon. I hope you all enjoyed last night’s pro-bending match because it will be the last_.”  
  
Her heart pounded in her chest so loud, she was having trouble hearing his voice. Mako and Bolin walked closer to the radio, faces grim.  
  
“ _It’s time for this city to stop worshipping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena—_ “ Mako, Bolin, and Korra all exchanged worried glances before turning back to the radio, “ _—and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences_.”  
  
“He can’t do that—!” Bolin yelled, thinking the broadcast was done.  
  
As the radio began to crackle again, Amon’s voice calmly added, “Do you remember—?“ It sounded as if there were more to the message, but static made it difficult to tell.  
  
However, Korra understood exactly what Amon was saying.

 _“I want you to remember this pain.”_  
  
She stood and stared at the radio, unable to process what was happening. Amon was right; she could remember it all. She could still feel the pain in her stomach (and her waist, and her arms, and her legs), and his voice only made it that much more vivid. A second wave of fear washed over her as she felt as though she might pass out. She had been holding her breath.  
  
But, Korra did not want to appear weak again. Not in front of Mako. Not if front of Bolin. Even though her stomach was twisted in knots, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe, she could not let herself break down. Not here, not now.  
  
“That guy’s got some nerve,” Bolin grumbled.  
  
“You’re telling me.” Korra’s voice was stern, which she was thankful for, considering how vulnerable she felt.  
  
“You think the council will give in?”  
  
“I’m not waiting to find out," she said with a bit more confidence. "We need to get to city hall.”

* * *

 All three of them burst through the large golden doors of city hall with a palpable sense of urgency. The commotion they stirred caused the five council members to turn their attention towards the intruders.  
  
“Korra? You can’t be here. This is a closed meeting.”  
  
“Listen, Tenzin, we have the right to have our voices heard.”  
  
Surprisingly, Tarrlok spoke up, “Maybe it would wise to have an opinion from some actual pro-benders.”  
  
Tenzin glared at the man as if to say, ‘sucking up to her will earn you no points.’  
  
“This is a concern regarding civilian security, and it is simply unacceptable to put innocent lives in danger. We have no choice but to close the arena.”  
  
“No!” Mako shouted.  
  
“You can’t!” Bolin said simultaneously.  
  
“Tarrlok, you can’t actually agree with running away from Amon, can you?” Korra asked, stepping towards the council almost pleadingly.  
  
“I,” he paused as if he were trying to chose his words correctly, “do think it’s risky to allow the finals to continue. It is a lot of danger to place on innocent spectators just for the sake of a game.”  
  
“It may be a game to you, but it’s more than that for us!” Mako exclaimed. “Do you realize that pro-bending is the symbol of this city?”  
  
Bolin tried sounding authoritative, but he just sounded nervous. “Non-benders and benders coming together to watch benders…uh…beat each other up! It’s practically performance art! It’s inspirational!”  
  
“I understand your position,” Tenzin frowned, “but there is too great of a risk. Especially for you, Korra.”  
  
Korra let her eyes turn into little slits on her face.  
  
“Tenzin, I don’t care. I want to play!”  
  
“See, Tenzin, your attempt at babying her is only holding her back,” Tarrlok persisted. The other council members looked at him with exasperation. One even whispered, “Who’s side are you on?”  
  
A scowl rested on the airbender’s face as he hollered, “My attempt at ‘babying her?’ Would you like to remind me what happened the last time I trusted you with her fate?” He stood up, and his height made him look even more menacing. “Have you not done enough already, _sir_?”  
  
The room was dead silent. Mako and Bolin looked at each other in confusion, and Korra stood with her hands on her hips, ready to deck both Tenzin and Tarrlok in the mouth.  
  
“How about instead of fighting over ‘my fate,’ you ask me what I want to do for a change!”  
  
Tenzin looked irritated and confused. “After all that happened, you still want to risk Amon—“  
  
“Would you listen to me for once?” she grunted. “I’m fine, you need to stop treating me like I’m helpless!”  
  
“Not only is this dangerous for every person in that arena but also for your health and well being!”  
  
Korra was fuming until she was distracted by the doors opening behind her.  
  
“You are all pathetic,” drawled Bei Fong as she entered the hall. “I expected Tenzin to act like a coward, but Tarrlok,” she paused and gave the councilman a most frightening glare, “do you really think that siding with the Avatar will forgive you of your horrific incompetence?”  
  
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”  
  
“No.” She looked at Tenzin as if she were pretending like Tarrlok did not exist. “Regardless, I think that we shouldn’t cancel the tournament.”  
  
“Lin?” Tenzin looked a bit shocked.  
  
“I can lock the arena down — metalbenders at every entrance, exit, hallway, bathroom — you name it. Giving into Amon will only fuel his cause, and he is limited to whatever he can accomplish in front of countless many witnesses, which I believe isn’t very much.”  
  
“You really believe your force can adequately protect the entire arena?” Tarrlok asked.  
  
She gave him the stink eye but responded, “Of course, I guarantee it.”  
  
“Then, if you are willing to take on the responsibility, I see no reason to close the arena.”  
  
The other council members nodded in agreement, save Tenzin.  
  
The three pro-bending players cheered, and Tenzin couldn’t help but let his palm connect with his forehead. Korra, Mako, and Bolin turned to leave, but when they made their way into the hall, Lin was there waiting for them. She put a hand on Korra’s shoulder.  
  
“Korra.”  
  
The Avatar looked at Lin in confusion. Since when did the Chief of Police actually speak to her willingly?  
  
“Chief,” Korra responded harshly, still a bit angry at how she was handled the last time they saw each other.  
  
By the look in Beifong’s eyes, Korra thought she was in for a lecture, but the words out her mouth were instead simply, “How are you doing?”  
  
Korra frowned.  
  
“Amazingly.”  
  
The sarcasm in her tone was laid on thick, and if Lin hadn’t been trying to actually be humane, she would have been proud.  
  
“I just wanted to say that I feel personally responsible for allowing a city official to put you in such a compromising situation.”  
  
Her eyebrows knit together, frustration bubbling from her gut. “I don’t…he didn’t. It was my idea.”  
  
Mako squinted at the two, but Bolin just looked uncomfortable.  
  
“It was his duty to protect you and his failure is unacceptable. I just want you to know that I am personally seeking retribution for his actions.”  
  
“You don’t have to. Really. I don’t blame him.”  
  
“Regardless, I give my apologies.”  
  
And as quickly as she arrived, Beifong was gone.  
  
“Korra? What was she talking about?” Mako inquired, a mix of confusion and anger painted on his face.  
  
“Don’t you read the paper?” was all Korra said regarding the issue. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

After all, they had a match to prepare for.

* * *

The rush of the crowd was not as powerful that night. In fact, Korra was finding it difficult to gather the energy to support the brothers, and boy, did they need it.  
  
Tahno and his lowly Wolfbats were cheating pretty blatantly, but no one seemed to care except Shiro Shinobi who Korra imagined was having a stroke watching pro-bending be so obviously disrespected.  
  
“Ugh, how are we supposed to beat these guys if they’re allowed to break the rules?” Bolin gasped, dodging yet another illegal headshot. Korra flattened to the ground to avoid a piece of pretty blatant ice knocking into her helmet. Mako, unfortunately, was shot by a pretty substantial amount of fire, way longer than a second and obviously a foul. Once again, no call.  
  
“I have a feeling we’re not supposed to win,” Korra mused as she watched Mako slide into Zone 3.  
  
Tahno caught her eye as he shot more ice in her direction. She got nailed in the chest and pushed into the Zone with Mako, and the fancy haired man taunted, “Where’s your spark, Avatar?”  
  
“Right here, idiot!”  
  
She jumped up in the air and shot a ball of water at Tahno’s stupid hair powerful enough that he was pushed into Zone 3. Bolin took the opportunity to use his Zone 2 advantage and pummel the other two players of the Wolf Bats with Mako throwing the occasional fireball when he could get a clear shot.  
  
Korra tried her best to keep up, but the lack of energy she had from her recently inadequate diet was catching up to her very quick.  
  
And it was obvious. In the stands, Tenzin and Lin shared similar frowns.  
  
“The Avatar is lacking her usual spunk.”  
  
“I told her that she shouldn’t be doing this—“  
  
“And you let her play anyway?”  
  
Tenzin looked marginally offended.  
  
“Try giving her orders for a day and see how well it goes.”  
  
Lin smirked, “Sounds familiar.”  
  
“You two are similar in more ways than one. If you gave her a chance, you might see that.”  
  
The Chief rolled her eyes and went back to watching Korra and her friends be unfairly dominated.  
  
“I don’t know, folks. I’m not sure what match the refs are watching, but it’s certainly not this one!” Shin’s announcements boomed through the arena.  
  
“Tell me about it,” Bolin grunted as he was also knocked back to Zone 3.  
  
 _Ding ding!_  
  
“Round One goes to the Wolf Bats.”  
  
“Shocker,” Mako hissed. “C’mon guys, group huddle.”  
  
The three Fire Ferrets gathered, and all of them shared similar solemn expressions.  
  
“These guys are totally cheating,” Bolin fumed, gripping his fists angrily.  
  
“Yeah, and the ref has obviously been paid off. There’s no other explanation,” Korra growled. “The only way we can win is to play dirty—“  
  
“No, the ref is obviously out to get us, so if we started cheating, it would be much worse,” Mako explained through a heavy sigh. “But to be honest, Korra, I know you’re having a bad week, but can you please liven up out there? We need all the power we’ve got, and you are not delivering.”  
  
Korra glared but knew he was right. She could feel her concentration and her power waning. Although, to her credit, the fact that she was even still upright was a win in itself.  
  
“Whatever you say, Sifu Mako.” Sarcasm was Korra’s weapon of choice recently, but unfortunately, that wasn’t an element that counted during a pro-bending match.  
  
They broke up their team huddle and went to their starting positions, but something told the Fire Ferrets that Tahno’s creepy, smug, sadistic smile was appearing for a reason.  
  
 _Round Two!!_  
  
Almost instantaneously, the Wolf Bats and the Fire Ferrets fired shots at each other. They cancelled each other out, but it also made a huge dust cloud, obstructing the view of the playing field for not only the spectators but also the benders.  
  
Out of the debris, water blasted like a hose at Korra, Mako, and Bolin. Not only were the attacks way longer than a second, but they had chunks of earth discs mixed in as well.  
  
They never saw it coming.  
  
And neither did the referees apparently, as the Fire Ferrets went careening over the edge of Zone 3 into the soup below. The room exploded in a flurry of cheers and jeers, boos almost over taking the excited screams.  
  
“Looks like this year’s champs, not without a little help from the refs, are once again the Wolf Bats!”  
  
Mako and Korra resurfaced first, anger practically boiling the water they floated in. Bolin came up next and with a huge groan said, “There were rocks in that water! How is that even fair?!”  
  
“That match was a joke,” Korra fumed, taking off her helmet and chucking it at the elevator.  
  
“If I ever see that ref in a dark alley, he’ll get a piece of my mind.”  
  
Bolin was about to agree when he began to see flashes of electricity spark from the stands.  
  
“Guys? What’s going on?”  
  
Before they had a chance to look up, the water sparked to life and shocked them all into motionless daze.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Korra’s consciousness fluctuated as she laid in the water. She could hear Amon’s voice, but she was too weak to react, too weak to even be scared.  
  
“Ready for act two, Avatar?” The Lieutenant’s voice sounded slimy, and to make it worse, he fished her out of the water and dragged her to the platform. Korra couldn’t piece together what he meant, so she just groaned and let herself be pulled along like a young child’s wagon.  
  
When she had enough lucidity to comprehend her surroundings, Korra found herself on the main arena stage surrounded by chi-blockers and their sparking gloves.  
  
“W-what’s going…” she slurred.  
  
At the sound of her voice, one of the men turned around to reveal himself to her as Amon, his mask standing out amongst the dark cloaked figures surrounding her.  
  
“We meet again, Avatar.”  
  
Her body kicked into high gear. Although her limbs were still numb from being shocked, she leapt up into a stance that suggested she’d defend herself against his advances.  
  
“I-I’m not afraid of you, Amon,” she shouted.  
  
He made a sound that might be considered laughter but was more like dampened amusement. With every step he took towards her, she became more tense and the crowd roared louder.  
  
“I do not believe you are being truthful.”  
  
She tried to make a run for it, getting ready to dive off the stage, but his chi-blockers caught her by the arms and around the waist.  
  
“You sick bastard!! Haven’t you done enough?!” she shrieked, kicking and screaming as the lieutenant picked her up and threw her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Korra wasn’t sure what was going to happen to her, but it was either going to be humiliating or devastating, neither of which were particularly pleasing prospects.  
  
She was slammed on the ground, the concrete shocking her with pain, but she quickly got off the ground and tried to run again. This time her goons grabbed her and forced her to face Amon and his haunting mask.  
  
“Let me go, so I can kick your face in!” Her screams were like a scared animal, frantic and futile.  
  
“I am afraid I can’t do that, young Avatar. See, you are the main attraction of tonight.”  
  
“Me?! But why?” Her eyes betrayed her and showed the unbelievable terror she had been harboring for the last few days.  
  
“The great Avatar is allowed to participate in these bending games even though you are specifically blessed with a greater bending skill than most people can even dream? You are a cheat in and of yourself, yet you still cannot win.”  
  
“What does that have to do with anything?!”  
  
“Aren’t you the one who is supposed to stop me? Aren’t you Republic City’s savior?”  
  
Korra stared at his eyes between the holes in his mask, not daring to speak for fear that she might cry.  
  
He continued to walk closer, his boots making a harrowing _clink, clink, clink_ with every step.  
  
“How can you be their savior when you can’t even win a silly game? How can you be their savior—“ Amon’s hand grabbed onto her ponytail and yanked her hair hard enough that Korra yelped in pain, “—when you are my pet?”  
  
Her eyes blazed with anger when she whispered, “Go fuck yourself, Amon.”  
  
“Be careful, Avatar. I have powers that you would never believe.”  
  
He laughed, let go of her hair, and began to land jabs to her joints in quick succession. The chi-blockers let go of her and let her topple to the ground in a heap. Korra thought that all he had done was paralyze her.  
  
She laid on the ground, glaring at Amon with gritted teeth. Her joints felt tight under her skin as if they were going to break out of her. She grunted, the pressure squeezing her limbs uncomfortably. But, then, a dull throbbing emerged from her gut. Korra thought she was going to be sick until the sensation burst within her, all of her nerve endings of her body activating and sending signals that battered her from her head to her toes.  
  
Korra cried out, mortified that in front of thousands of people, she was having an orgasm.  
  
Even though she writhed on the ground, to the outsider, she looked to be in excruciating pain. The sounds from her mouth did not sound pleasurable, but as if someone were strangling her. However, this was only because Korra was stiffing her voice, which wanted to cry out with moans and high pitched screams.  
  
As waves of pleasured rolled over her, she gasped and groaned, grabbing onto her stomach and curling into the fetal position like an alien were trying to burst out of her. Tears began running over her nose and onto the ground because she was so humiliated.  
  
“Oh, S-spirits!”  
  
“How does it feel, Avatar? How easy it is to break you—“  
  
Out of nowhere, a blast of water hit Amon and the surrounding chi-blockers, stunning them long enough so a figure was able to rush and tackle Amon.  
  
The gasp from the crowd was audible.  
  
Korra opened her eyes just enough to see through her murky tears that Tarrlok had charged and brought down Amon in a blaze of glory. The force of his attack sent the two careening off the edge of the stage, both of them landing in the water with a large splash!  
  
People from the crowd cheered, booed, hollered, and gasped, standing up from their seats to see what had become of the evil man and the valiant councilman who had saved the day. Splashes from below indicated a struggle, but just as suddenly as Tarrlok had changed the tides, the pool burst into a lake of electricity.  
  
Luckily, Amon knew when to quit, so he allowed the man to float unconscious in the water as he and his supporters quickly were rescued by their ship. They grabbed onto the platforms and were hoisted up into the sky, almost like gods ascending into the heavens.  
  
At this point, Beifong and Tenzin had woken up, and they gasped at the fallen champs and the still thrashing Avatar.  
  
“I’m going after him,” Beifong grunted. “Make sure Korra’s all right.”  
  
“Lin, no!” But before Tenzin could stop her, she had fired her metal cables and attached herself the the platforms the Equalists were escaping with.  
  
Korra saw this happen, and she tried to stand but evidently was too weak to make it past sitting upright.  
  
Lin, using her cables, swung and flipped up on the platform, knocking the chi-bender off and letting him fall into the pool below. She shot her cables again, this time at two other platforms, swinging them together so the men collided and fell off. Lin jumped to another platform, but she got too close to Amon, and his Lieutenant jabbed her with his chi-blocking sticks.  
  
No matter how strong Lin was, she couldn’t stand a chance against the electricity flowing through her body. She became limp and came flying down.  
  
Korra looked up, saw Lin dropping from the ceiling, and tried to waterbed Lin to safety. However, she was sluggish and Tenzin had already beat her to it. With his airbending, he intercepted her falling body, and slowly levitated her to the concrete.  
  
Most of the spectators had been evacuated by now, so Tenzin turned his attention to Korra and Lin. Korra was recovering, the paralysis and other affects of Amon’s chi-blocking jabs wearing off. But, she was still shaken and thoroughly mortified, tears silently leaking from the corners of her eyes. Lin was gaining consciousness again, but considering she had been electrocuted twice in the span of ten minutes, she was in pretty bad shape.  
  
Lin needed more attention at the moment.  
  
“Korra, I know you’re probably scared at the moment, but I’m going to get Lin some medical attention—“  
  
“Tenzin,” Lin grunted, “I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” That sounded familiar, Tenzin mused to himself. She tried her best to sit up, and she managed, but it looked like her gut hurt.  
  
“I can heal her,” Korra sniffed, crawling over to them. She pulled water from the grates and waited from Lin to get her armor off. Once she did, she pulled up her shirt so her bare abdomen was showing and put her water covered hands over the red streak across her stomach.  
  
Lin’s face went from pained to relaxed in only a few moments.  
  
“Is that better?” Korra asked, removing her hands from the Chief of Police.  
  
“Yes, thank you.”  
  
Tenzin looked grim. “This is getting ridiculous. We’ll have no choice but to close the arena.” Korra frowned, but nodded.  
  
“I can’t believe Tarrlok had the guts to tackle Amon like that,” Korra said, wiping away the last of her tears since she had calmed down considerably.  
  
“Less guts, more like he's being a selfish bastard. He’s trying to save his reputation, and the worst part is it’s probably going to work,” Lin scowled, putting her armor back on with her metal bending. “As I told you before, I’m trying to get his ass thrown off the council. Except I don’t think I’ll have much authority after this incident.”  
  
“Speaking of which,” Tenzin turned his attention to Korra as they all stood up, “did Amon hurt you?”  
  
A rosy blush bloomed on Korra’s cheeks. “Er…not really. He just…disarmed me.” She walked over and looked off the edge of the stage to see Bolin and Mako fishing Tarrlok out. “Is he okay?” she shouted to them.  
  
“Yeah, but I think they got him pretty good,” Bolin shouted back up. They sat Tarrlok up as he became conscious as well. Once he was lucid enough to realize where he was, he kindly rejected the boy’s help and stood up. All three of them took the elevator up.  
  
Before they got up, Lin turned to Korra and said in a low tone, “Don’t let him use this as a way of guilting you into helping him.”  
  
She waved her hands in front of her face. “No, no, I think I’ve had enough of chasing Amon for a while.”  
  
Tenzin, Lin, and Korra walked into the pre-game room where Tarrlok, Bolin, and Mako stood.  
  
Korra was the first to speak. “Tarrlok, thanks for saving me, I really appreciate it.” His face formed into a kind-looking smile.  
  
“It’s my duty to protect you, Korra.” Lin laughed sarcastically, crossing her arms. “Is there a problem Chief Beifong?”  
  
“No, not at all. Carry on kissing her ass.”  
  
Not letting Lin’s comments bother him, he placed a hand on the Avatar’s shoulder. “I never had to chance to formally apologize to you about the ambush. I misjudged Amon, and we should have had support stationed for you.”  
  
Mako gave Korra a look, and she gave a look back. Mako still didn’t know what was going on. She thought for sure that Bolin would have said something, but maybe he realized it was not his business to tell.  
  
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault. I didn’t think that he would bring a whole room of chi-blockers.” She shrugged, trying not to think too hard about that night.  
  
“If there’s anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask,” Tarrlok said.  
  
Korra smiled at him, not sure if he was being sincere or not, but looking him in the eyes anyway. But, there was something about his eyes that gave her pause. They were so familiar but she wasn’t sure where she had seen them…  
  
“Anyway,” Tenzin broke her awkwardly long stare with his own hand on her shoulder. Tarrlok dropped his hand back to his side, giving Tenzin a side glance, “we should get you back to the island.”  
  
“C’mon, Tenzin, can’t I hang out with Bolin and Mako a bit? If the arena has to be closed, they’ll need to pack up their stuff, and I could help.” She needed a chance to explain what had been happening to her because keeping it a secret from them would do nothing but push them apart.  
  
“Wait? The arena is closing?!” Bolin looked beside himself. Mako just frowned and crossed his arms.  
  
“Yes, it would be unwise to keep a terrorist attack site open. The Equalists may use it as a symbol of their power,” Lin explained, still sour about Tarrlok’s rather obvious manipulation.  
  
“Ugh,” Mako sighed. “Well, that gives us something else to worry about.”  
  
Tenzin gave his own sigh, “You can stay for a bit, but I would like you home tonight. I worry about your safety after such an incident.”  
  
“I have Naga, I’ll be fine,” Korra assured him.  
  
“Alright, let’s get upstairs,” Mako said, motioning Bolin and Korra to follow. The Avatar stole one last glance at Tarrlok before exiting the room.  
  
Once they got into the attic, Korra sat on the bed and watched as Mako and Bolin began to pile up stuff like clothes.  
  
“Well, that was eventful,” she nervously laughed.  
  
“Yeah! I mean it kind of sucked that we lost…and then it kind of sucked that Amon showed up, but it sure was, er, interesting,” Bolin said.  
  
“Except, what was up with Tarrlok?” Mako asked, raising and eyebrow and stacking his extra shirts. “Scratch that, what’s been going the past few days? I feel like I’ve been left out of something kind of important.”  
  
Korra crossed her legs as if she were going to meditate and sighed heavily.  
  
“It’s kind of my fault. I haven’t been completely truthful with you guys.”  
  
Her heart was beating fast, but she knew she had to tell them. Maybe it would make her feel better, or maybe it would just be horrible.  
  
“Korra, you don’t have to…” Bolin tried to interject, seeing the anxious look in her eyes. Mako looked up and stopped packing.  
  
“No, I do.” She swallowed and looked out the window at the glowing buildings of Republic City. With a deep breath, she turned to them. “Well, I challenged Amon to a one-on-one battle the other day. No one thought he was going to show up, I guess. I thought he was going to show, but I didn’t think he would have backup.  
  
“And, well, they cornered me and chi-blocked me. I couldn’t move, and Amon, he…” Korra bit her lips, trying to gather the strength to say the words she had never said. She shrugged exaggeratedly, throwing her hands in the air and shaking her head. “There’s no other way to say it. He raped me.”  
  
“ _What?!_ ”  
  
Both brothers had stopped moving and stood there, looking like they had been paralyzed. Mako appeared to be having his stomach twisted into knots, and Bolin’s face made it seem like he might cry.  
  
“Oh my god, Korra!” Bolin gasped, rushing over to her. He seemed to be searching for words, but they were either not coming to him or were not the right ones to say. He sat next to her and hugged her, taking her head into his shoulder.  
  
Mako came over to and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m so, so sorry, Korra,” he whispered, but he looked lost as he spoke.  
  
Korra didn’t think she was going to cry until she felt all of their affection in their embrace. She thought she could be strong, but instead, she ended up sobbing in Bolin’s shoulder as Mako rubbed her back.  
  
She pulled away a bit and said through tears, “I-I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys sooner, it was j-just so terrible, and then h-he grabbed me again today, and I just—“ She buried her face in her hands, embarrassed that she couldn’t control her emotions.  
  
“Spirits, Korra, I…” Mako couldn’t figure out what he wanted to say either.  
  
“How did you come to practice the next day? If I had known…” Bolin ran his fingers through his hair. “I feel like we forced you to play.”  
  
“N-no, I really did want to play. I love pro-bending. It didn’t have anything to do with Amon…until it did.” She got up and began pacing. “And I don’t even know what he did this time. This is super fucking embarrassing: I thought he just chi-blocked me but somehow he made me come.” She had a hand over her eyes as she spoke, walking back and forth, trying to calm down and not die of embarrassment.  
  
The two boys watched her, a mix of confusion, anger, and disgust on their faces.  
  
“That’s so wrong,” Bolin screwed up his face at the thought of not only being violated by Amon but being forced to orgasm by him as well.  
  
“What the fuck is this guy trying to prove?” Mako had finally found his voice now that he was enraged at Amon. “You’re the sweetest girl ever, and you don’t deserve this shit!”  
  
“I-I don’t know,” Korra choked out. “And to make it worse, Tarrlok is trying to use that fact that he tackled Amon to get on my good side, but I can’t help thinking that he let me go to Aang Memorial Island alone—“ She cried now because she felt like a bitch, blaming people other than Amon for her assault.  
  
“Ugh, it makes me sick. How can these people not care that they’re hurting you?!”  
  
She shook her head rapidly, hands unable to keep still either.  
  
“You’re going to hate me for saying this, but I feel like it’s my fault.” The words seemed even more vile as she said them out loud. In her head, they seemed like such irrefutable facts, but Korra was distinctly aware of how overly dramatic she sounded. "I know it's dumb, but I feel like I deserved it."  
  
Bolin stood up and placed both hands on her shoulders so she would stop pacing and look at him.  
  
“Korra. No. You don’t deserve anyone to touch you when you don’t want them to,” he said sternly. Korra had never seen him be so serious. “It can’t be your fault. Please understand that.” He managed to get her to sit down on the bed again. “Listen, Korra. You’re beautiful and smart and so worth living your life without fear.”  
  
“Bolin’s right,” Mako added, putting his hand on hers. “You mean so much to us. If Amon get’s anywhere close to you again, we’ll bash his fucking head in because we love you that much.”  
  
Korra smiled and wiped her cheeks on her wrist bands. “You guys are the best, you know that?” And they both wrapped their arms around his in a group hug.  
  
For the first time in several days, Korra could say that she felt safe.  
  
When they pulled away, she half smiled, trying to ignore that annoying flutter in her stomach. “Hey, do you guys want to live with us at the air temple? I feel bad that your home was taken away.”  
  
The brothers looked at each other in shrugged, “Don’t feel bad, it wasn’t much of a home anyway.”  
  
Bolin smiled, “We’d love to stay with you.”

Korra tried her best not to let herself cry again. Maybe things were looking up after all.


	6. The Problem

He knew it had been a mistake.  
  
Amon had just wanted to frighten the Avatar, make her too horrified to utter his name, too terrified to carry on with Tarrlok’s silly task force.  
  
But this…  
  
He had not expected this.  
  
“Amon, sir?”  
  
Lieutenant was standing in the doorway of Amon’s office, watching him.  
  
“Yes, Lieutenant?”  
  
He fidgeted where he stood. “Are you alright?”  
  
He must have been commenting on how Amon was slumped over his desk, head only being held up by his hands.  
  
“Yes, I am fine.”  
  
Lieutenant left without another word, but Amon couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of foreboding. He was usually so focused on his mission, so ready to strike, but lately, his senses were dulled.  
  
Amon stood up and walked to the window, staring out of it idly. He looked calm on the surface, but inside his chest, deep in his groin, he felt tight.  
  
It was all the Avatar’s fault, he groaned internally.  
  
He couldn’t focus because he couldn’t stop seeing her (her face), couldn’t stop feeling her (her skin), couldn’t stop remembering her (her body). She was wrong, so deliciously wrong. The thought of controlling her, making her cry, making her scream, making her beg — that was what he craved.  
  
The terror on her face: it was lovely. It was better than anything he had ever hoped for.  
  
But, it was also dangerous. Amon had found he was prone to obsession. Even as a child he wanted to be the best bloodbender there was. He practiced until he was great, better than his father ever was, and that feeling of power was what he learned to crave. Unfortunately, being a master bloodbender also pushed away his brother, his father, and his mother.  
  
Now he was alone.  
  
Obsession propelled Amon to his current state. He was the leader of a rebellion, a rebellion that could change the world. It was wonderful, it was everything he ever wanted, but he was alone. He was obsessed with equality, he was obsessed with power.  
  
But now Amon was obsessed with the Avatar.  
  
He wanted to own her, be inside her, make her beg for his touch. He wanted to destroy her and make her love every second of it.  
  
The initial act was a poison that infected his mind. His power in that moment was addictive. He wanted it. He craved it. He craved her. He craved the look of horror on her face. He wanted to see her squirm. He wanted to turn her own body against her.  
  
Amon put a hand on his mask. The Avatar was horribly distracting.  
  
Fortunately, there was a knock on the door that pulled Amon back to reality.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
He turned to see a terror-stricken Hiroshi standing in the doorway. Squinting behind his mask, Amon wasn’t sure if he was going to be the bearer of bad news or if he had just had an encounter with an unbalanced spirit.  
  
“Amon, we have a problem.”

* * *

“Asami?”  
  
Hiroshi’s stout face peered in the crack of her door.  
  
“Yeah, Dad?”  
  
Asami couldn’t help but notice he looked a little more jumpy than usual. She put aside the blueprint that she had been studying and nervously pushed her hair back behind her ear.  
  
“May I come in?”  
  
“Yeah, sure.”  
  
There was a tense silence as his boots clicked on the floor. He sat on her bed while she turned around in her chair, peering at the sweat beading under his brow.  
  
“Dad, are you okay?” she asked while he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.  
  
Hiroshi ignored her, but she figured he didn’t hear her, possibly because he was figuring out the proper way to word his thoughts. After a few moments, he met her gaze, a sense of urgency at seeing the green eyes that had once been hers and had been so prematurely taken from him.  
  
“Asami, please hear me out.” He breathed heavily as if he had been holding his breath. “This may be confusing at first, but please stay calm.”  
  
His tone alarmed her, and she stood from her chair. “Did something happen? To you? To the company?”  
  
The panic on her face was enough to make Hiroshi’s heart break, and he wasn’t sure if his actual topic of discussion would sooth her at all.  
  
Probably the opposite, actually.  
  
“No, no, everything’s fine,” Hiroshi assured her, grabbing her hand and motioning for her to sit down. His urgency did not do much to calm her, but she did reluctantly take her seat. “However, I think it’s time for you to be aware of all the ventures Future Industries is involved in, especially if you are to inherit it in the future.”  
  
Asami furrowed her eyebrows but did not speak.  
  
He breathed in and met her eyes once again. This time, his gaze was strong and determined.  
  
“Do you remember how hard it was to manage the grief of losing you mother?”  
  
“Of course,” she muttered, trying not to actually relive the anguish and the pain. “But what does this—“  
  
“My life, our life, had been uprooted. It was the only time in my life that I felt powerless. I wasn’t sure if I could overcome the pain. I loved her so much.”  
  
She gave her father a thoughtful look and a sympathetic smile. “I love her too, Dad.”  
  
He returned the smile and continued. “There was a group of people in Republic City. They had all lost either someone or something significant. I would go for support. At first it was a way for us to convey our feelings and frustrations, but very quickly we realized that all the misfortunes in our life could be explained by the presence of—”  
  
The breath almost hitched in his throat when he said:  
  
“—benders.”  
  
Hiroshi could see the suspicion on his daughters face, the way her hands clutched her chair and she did not move, only gave him a frightened stare.  
  
“Dad.” There was alarm in her voice. “What are you saying?”  
  
“Asami, the Equalist cause is not detrimental as the Avatar would lead you to believe—“  
  
The blood drained from Asami’s face. Without another word, she got up, grabbed her jacket, and walked out the door of her bedroom.  
  
Hiroshi panicked. Standing up and racing after her, he shouted, “Asami, wait!” but she only flinched when she heard her name laced with fear that was very rare for her father. “Asami, please understand—“  
  
She flipped around and balked, holding back tears. “You tell me that you are an Equalist sympathizer and that you want me to ‘understand?’” There was fire in her voice when she spat, “ _How dare you?_ ”  
  
With as icy a stare as she could muster, she turned around, put on her coat, and kept walking.  
  
“Asami!”  
  
But she was gone.

* * *

Hiroshi let out a strangled sigh.  
  
“I tried to break the news to Asami,” he sighed, rubbing his hands together nervously. “She didn’t take it well.”  
  
“She ran off to tell the Avatar, I assume is your concern.”  
  
“Well, yes.”  
  
Was it bad that a little flash of excitement reverberated through his chest? Amon turned back to the window and let his gaze fall on Air Temple Island.  
  
“There is no need to worry,” Amon reassured him. “We have very good ways of convincing her. We just have to make your daughter an offer she can’t refuse.”  
  
“And if she does?”  
  
“As I said, we have very good ways of convincing her.”  
  
Hiroshi’s gulp was audible. As much as he wished Asami could see that they were on the winning side of history, he was worried that Amon’s means would be a little harsher than he was willing to impose on his own family.  
  
“Do not worry, Hiroshi. Asami will be in good hands.”  
  
Amon might have just found a way to get the Avatar back in his grasp.  
  
How exciting.

* * *

 _Riiiing. Riiiiing._  
  
Tenzin rued the day he let Pema convince him to install another dreadful telephone in his kitchen. It disrupted the tranquility of the temple. It was shrewd, piercing, alarming, and most of all—  
  
 _Riiiing. Riiiiing._  
  
—annoying.  
  
He huffed, stomped over, and picked up the receiver.  
  
“Tenzin speaking.”  
  
At first there was nothing but silence on the other end.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
Then, there was a gasp, or maybe more of a choking sound, and a small voice said, _“Is Korra there?”_  
  
Tenzin did not recognize the voice on the other end. It was hard enough to tell what words had been spoken let alone who had said it.  
  
“May I ask who’s speaking?”  
  
 _“It’s Asami. I-I need to speak to her right away.”_  
  
He paused because he swore he could hear the young woman crying on the other end.  
  
“Er, yes. I’ll go get her.”  
  
Asami stared at a car passing by as she waited for Korra to connect. She had never used a public telephone and wondered if her conversation could be heard through the glass box she was standing in. She also wondered if people could see the mascara running down her face.  
  
Then, there was a crackling on the other end of the line and someone cleared their throat.  
  
 _“Asami?”_  
  
Hearing her name be spoken by a voice that had not revealed itself to be in cahoots with an anti-bending revolution made her break down, violent sobs finally catching up to her from their spot in her room.  
  
 _“Asami?! Asami, what happened? What’s going on?”_  
  
“I-It’s my dad. Korra, my dad, h-he’s—“ she took in a shuddering breath, “—he’s an Equalist.”  
  
The words felt like metal passing through her teeth.  
  
 _“What?!”_  
  
“I don’t know what to do, Korra!” she cried, pressing her back to the window of the booth. “I don’t know where to go. I can’t go back there. I can’t even look at him.”  
  
She held her breath waiting for her answer.  
  
 _“Oh, Spirits, Asami. Come stay at Air Temple Island. I mean, Mako and Bolin already live here anyway. I’m sure Tenzin won’t mind, especially considering what happened.”_  
  
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Korra,” Asami gasped, her crying returning like a wave rushing over her body. It was overwhelming, and she barely got out the words, “I’m on my way. I’ll be right over.”  
  
On the other end, Korra hung up the phone and breathed out the air that she had probably been holding the whole conversation.  
  
She hoped that she would come over soon.

* * *

_But she never came._

* * *

  
Korra stood on the pier overlooking Republic City with bated breath.  
  
She was supposed to be there two hours ago. She had been on her way when she called. Why wasn’t she there?  
  
There was a sour edge to the wind and a searing nature to the sunset that evening. The whole world echoed in a way that she had not heard since the night of her attack.  
  
Asami was supposed to be there.  
  
Why wasn’t she there?  
  
The pier creaked under her feet, and Korra clenched her fists. This was not right, this was not right at all. Someone must have gotten to her.  
  
Amon must have gotten to her.  
  
As much as she would have liked to say she was over her own attack, the idea of chi-blockers kidnapping Asami on the street was horrifying to Korra. She never wanted anyone to have hands on them that they didn’t want. No one deserved that kind of terror.  
  
Especially not Asami.  
  
She had been so calm and understanding when everyone else had tip-toed around her. Korra hadn’t been that keen on her before, but she had been nothing but nice and supportive. It was hard to feel malice towards her (especially when Korra’s head had fit in Asami’s shoulder so perfectly). No one who was such a kind soul deserved to have a father who was an Equalist.  
  
She deserved the world, but she only received pain.  
  
It started as a well of emotion in her chest, but after a few seconds, it became her voice shouting back to the house:  
  
“Tenzin! Tenzin!”  
  
She half walked, half sprinted to the house, distress coating her voice as she yelled. It took a minute or so for her to get close enough for people to hear her. Instead of Tenzin appearing in the doorway, it was Bolin whose body was tense from the sound of Korra’s cries.  
  
“Korra? What’s going on?”  
  
She ran up to him and tried to hide her panic, but if it wasn’t on her face, it was in her shaking hands.  
  
“It’s Asami. I think something’s happened to her.”  
  
“What? How do you know?”  
  
“S-she called a few hours ago, said she’d be right over. I don’t know what’s happened. She’s not here.”  
  
Bolin saw the tremors in her body even though her expression was steely (he didn’t admit that her lack of emotion was scarier than her showing it).  
  
“Where do you think she could have gone?”  
  
Her response was almost immediate.  
  
“Equalists. Her dad. She was running away.”  
  
Bolin’s face fell as he asked, “Wait, what? Asami’s dad has Equalist ties?”  
  
She looked exasperated, like she couldn’t get her words out fast enough.  
  
“Yes! I don’t know to what extent or anything, but she was running away from him. She was going to come here.”  
  
When he looked into her teal eyes and saw such a strong doubt, he wondered if she thought it was her fault.  
  
“I can’t protect anyone anymore.”  
  
Bolin wrapped his arm around her, noticing how cold she was from standing out in the fall winds. She gladly returned his hug, pulling herself closer to his chest. The contact made Bolin’s breath catch in his throat.  
  
Before he could say anything embarrassing, Korra sighed, “Things are only okay like this.” Her breath was surprisingly even for how stressed she had been just a few seconds before.  
  
“Like how?”  
  
“You and Asami give the best hugs.”  
  
Just like the girl, Korra could place her head in the crook of his neck. Not sure how to respond, Bolin just placed his hand on her back.  
  
“We can call the police. I’m sure Beifong will go out and look for her.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“She’ll be okay, Korra.” When she didn’t say anything, he added, “You’ll be okay, too, y’know?”  
  
“I know.”  
  
He wished he could articulate the swelling in his chest that her proximity instilled on him. Normally full of words and witty phrases, Bolin was silent. He reveled in the way her hair smelled like the wind on the island, the way her hands rested on his chest, the way her hair was soft against his skin. Every part of her was so perfect. He wished she knew that.  
  
“I’ll never forgive Amon for hurting you.”  
  
She tried not to tense when she looked up at Bolin’s green eyes.  
  
“I’ll never forgive him either.”  
  
“No, I mean it. I think people take you for granted, but you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Having someone hurt you is such a crime.”  
  
Her face flushed against her will, his hands suddenly feeling warm on her back.  
  
He wondered if she was just now noticing how close they were because she broke their embrace rather suddenly.  In one sweep of her eyes, Korra’s face became a bit ashen.  
  
“That’s kind of you.”  
  
Bolin wanted to reach out and touch her, see if she was real, but he figured that would be pushing it. It was horrible that she was so great, that they would be so great, but she didn’t seem to feel it as strongly. They were so compatible, but she was proving more and more that she was too good for him. Mako and Asami were more striking in their looks and personality. Bolin was just a good friend.  
  
(Bolin was just a sad, scared little boy still lost in Republic City.)  
  
She saw the sorrow in his eyes and clasped his hand.  
  
“Don’t look so sad. You’re suppose to be comforting me, remember?”  
  
He laughed and shook her hand, feeling the all the hills and valleys of her skin as he did so.  
  
“I’m just screwing up the dynamic, that’s all.”  
  
It was her turn to laugh, but she still was wondering why Bolin seemed to have lost all of his jovial spirit just from losing her embrace.  
  
“We should get Lin on the phone.”  
  
“Yeah.”

* * *

It turns out that the police doesn’t let you contact the Chief unless there’s a really huge problem, and having a girl not show up at her friend’s house is not that big of a problem, apparently.  
  
“Listen, we think she may have been captured by the Equalists—“  
  
The man on the other end of the line seemed unimpressed. “ _How long has she been missing for?_ ”  
  
“Three hours.”  
  
The cackle from the officer was enough to make smoke come out of Korra’s ears.  
  
“ _Listen, honey. Missing persons are only considered missing if they’re gone for 48 hours. My goat dog has been lost longer than three hours._ ”  
  
“Then maybe you should take better care of your goat dog.”  
  
She slammed the receiver on the hook hard enough that Mako and Bolin flinched.  
  
“This is ridiculous!” Korra shouted, getting up so she could pace around the kitchen table. “How are we supposed to help her if even the police won’t get involved?”  
  
Mako fidgeted by the phone. “I dunno, Korra. Maybe Asami just needed to rest a little before she came over here. If she’s only a few hours late, who’s to say she’s not going to show up at any moment?”  
  
Bolin frowned.  
  
“It’s not like Asami to be late for anything.”  
  
“I know, but what else is there to do? We can’t go after her ourselves.”  
  
“Why not?” Korra demanded.  
  
“We have no leads, we don’t know where we’d go, and to top it all off, we have no idea she’s even missing. It would be a huge waste of time and potentially dangerous.”  
  
Even though she knew this was all true, Korra didn’t want to accept that she was helpless in this situation. It made her so angry because this week was like an endless stream of events she couldn’t control.

She had been staring at the ground, but when she looked up to meet Mako and Bolin's eyes, they looked almost as worried as she felt.

"What are we going to do?" Bolin asked, his tone a bit lower than usual.

"We have to wait."

"Wait?" Korra asked. She sounded so frustrated that she might start crying. "And what if Amon _does_ have her? Waiting only increases the likelihood that he's going to—"

" _Korra._ "

Mako's tone indicated that he was giving a warning. Korra wasn't sure if he was implying that he didn't want to hear about what might happen to Asami or whether he was saying she should stop acting more worried than her actual boyfriend.

"Fine. You want to wait? Go ahead! See if I care!"

Korra stomped out, hiding the fear that ate away at her with anger. Bolin and Mako shared glances. It wasn't like they weren't upset, but Korra seemed to be acting irrationally. Asami had barely had time to get over to Air Temple Island, let alone go missing.

"I hope she's okay," Bolin muttered to Mako, but Mako didn't know if he was talking about Korra or Asami.

Bolin didn't really know either.

* * *

 

Korra was worried.

Very worried.

She was not usually prone to anxiety (why worry when you can just throw a few punches and feel powerful?), but she had never felt so hopeless before in her life.

She checked the time. Only twenty minutes had passed since she first slammed her door shut.

It also didn't help that Korra was angry.

Angry at the police officer on the phone for not taking her seriously, angry at Mako and Bolin for not being proactive, angry at _damn_ _Hiroshi_ for breaking Asami's heart. She had never heard Asami cry like that. It was frightening. It tore up her stomach just thinking about it. Korra had the sudden urge to be sick, but she just sat on her bed and let the feeling pass. She was not going to throw up (unless it was on her own terms).

Twenty-five minutes.

She opened her window and looked out. Still no Asami.

Korra began to pace, trying to think of something to console herself, but it all came back to  _him_ taking  _her_ away. 

This cascaded into _him_ touching _her_ and, _oh Spirits_ , he's probably going to rape Asami in the same horrible way he raped her.

_His face. His fingers. Her face, her tears—_

Korra laid down on her bed and put her pillow over her head. Asami had to be alright. She just had to. She would never forgive herself if Asami actually got hurt. She wanted to keep her mind calm and thought that she should meditate or something, but she couldn't stop thinking, no matter what she did, she just could _not_ _stop_ _thinking._

Thirty minutes.

Still no sign of her.

Korra got up again, but the sudden change in position made her head rush, and she sat back down unceremoniously.

Thirty-one minutes.

In her worried state, the intrusive imagery of that night came back to her in full force. It was like she was living it again—

_His mask. His voice. His hands. The pain. The tears. The red eyes looking down at her._

In the back of her mind, she could hear the harrowing shriek she let out as he came inside her, and in her chest, she felt the sinking feeling of ( _Oh Spirits, I hope I don't get pregnant_ ), and then it was the overwhelming feeling of disgust, the desire to make herself throw up because she was disgusting and a failure and deserved to make herself suffer.

Korra covered her face with her hands, trying to get her thoughts under control, but they were everywhere at once. For a whole awful minute, she felt like she couldn't breathe, that there was no air in the room, that she was going to die.

Thirty-three minutes.

Thirty-four _minutes._

_Thirty-five minutes._

.

.

.

The next few hours were a blur.  
  
Korra laid on her bed and let the feeling of dizziness roll over her.  
  
When was the last time she ate something?  
  
Hunger tore at her stomach, but her legs were too weak to let her get up. The hours upon hours of endless anxiety had finally caught up to her. She wasn't sure if she wasn't physically able stand or simply didn't want to.  
  
“Korra?” Ikki’s voice echoed through her doorway. “Daddy says you need to come eat with us.”  
  
The Avatar didn’t move, only let her face sink into her pillow. How could she possibly move? Where would she get her energy?  
  
The next thing Korra knew, Tenzin was shaking her shoulder, saying, “Korra, you have not been eating. You need to eat.”  
  
“I’m so nauseous.” Her words were muffled by the pillow.  
  
Tenzin got her to sit up anyway.  
  
“You can’t let yourself get weak.”  
  
Her mind asked why, but her mouth didn’t think it was worth pursuing.  
  
Korra walked down the hall with Tenzin, barely registering his presence. Everything around her was so loud and bright. It all seemed so overexposed, so lucid, so dream-like. She wondered if she was dreaming.  
  
No random sex scene yet. She was probably safe.  
  
Then she was at the table. Pema placed a dish in front of her. Before she considered eating, Korra looked around. Mako and Bolin were there (right, she invited them to live with her), and so were the kids.  
  
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Pema asked, smiling as she put a plate in front of her husband.  
  
Korra’s stomach screamed no, no, no, but she nodded.  
  
She put a bite in her mouth, but it tasted tinny like her mouth did. She recognized the feeling as thirst. She drank a cup of tea, tried the food again, but it still lacked much taste. Her stomach turned over.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, but even when they asked what for, she couldn’t think of an answer.  
  
She watched the reaction of everyone around her as if her ears were on mute. Bolin’s face was creased just above his nose, Mako appeared to be nauseous and a bit angry, Pema looked lost and worried, Tenzin was half way in between offended and unnerved, Meelo tilted his head as if hungrily confused, Ikki was biting her lip, and Jinora seemed almost betrayed.  
  
All of this should’ve upset Korra, but she didn’t really have the energy to care.  
  
“Please eat, Korra,” Ikki muttered, looking at her own plate and the numerous goodies that lay upon it.  
  
“I can’t.”  
  
“If you don’t, we’ll be forced to admit you to the hospital where they will force you,” Tenzin explained very clinically even though the words broke his heart.  
  
Mako simply gave her a cold stare and said, “You’ll never be able to help Asami like this.”  
  
 _Asami._  
  
Her walls had been broken by the hands of men and the disappearance of girls. She no longer had the energy to hold back her emotions, so Korra slumped over her meal and began to silently sob, letting tears fall into her rice. It was hard not to feel sorry for herself when she had tried so hard to act strong ( _Strong? For who? For what?_ ) and yet she had still lost. Couldn’t taking her innocence be enough? Why Asami too? Asami didn’t deserve such a fate.  
  
She didn’t even know when she had started to eat, but all of the sudden she was putting rice in her mouth and letting tears run down her cheeks. The table was silent because Korra rarely bared herself so freely in front of so many witnesses, and she just looked _so sad_.  
  
After dinner, she laid down in bed, but she was so uncomfortable with so much food in her stomach that she went out into the woods and stuck her fingers down her throat.  
  
If Lin had been there, she would’ve probably beat her up, Korra mused.  
  
Speaking of Lin, she had to do something about Asami. She had to go to the police. Fuck this two day thing; Asami was in trouble.  
  
Grabbing her glider from her room, she opened it, and flew off to help Asami even though Mako insisted that she wouldn’t be able to.

* * *

Asami could barely open her eyes let alone focus them. A dull throbbing squeezed her brain, but the rest of her body was numb with sleep and what she only could deduce was a combination of chi-blocking and drugs.  
  
There was the vague sound of cells opening, people talking, footsteps clicking.  
  
It wasn’t until she heard a familiar voice say, “I thought you said you weren’t going to hurt her,” before she managed to become lucid enough to interpret what was going on around her.  
  
“I did not hurt her. She is safe.”  
  
“You have her tied up like your personal slave.”  
  
“For her own protection, I assure you. We wouldn’t want to have chi-blockers electrocuting her if she were to try to escape.”  
  
Silence.  
  
“All I wanted you to do was get her back to me, not throw her in a jail cell.”  
  
“Unfortunately, you lost that authority when you revealed your identity to her. She holds sensitive information that, in the wrong hands, could ruin your company.”  
  
There was another nasty bout of silence.  
  
“I am only acting in your best interest, Hiroshi.”  
  
His tone shifted, now. He went from angry badgering to pleading.  
  
“Just please don’t hurt her.”  
  
“I assure you, she is in good hands.”  
  
“You said that before.”  
  
“And I always keep my word.”  
  
Asami tried to keep listening, but she was so tired, and the ropes dug into her limbs like daggers. She cursed her brain for being too slow to will herself to struggle against the binds, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t make a difference.  
  
Her mind may have been handicapped, but she did know two things: one, she probably wasn’t as safe as he assured her to be, and two, if she had any use being doped up in a cage, it was to lure Korra into a trap.  
  
For the first time in her life, Asami prayed to the Spirits that Korra would not find her.


	7. The Mistake

It was nights like these that would drive her crazy.  
  
On quiet nights, Lin could hear the sound of the turtle ducks making their way to the bay for the night. She used to like the animals quite a bit. They used to feed turtle ducks on Air Temple Island, just the two of them. She had never been much of a nature girl, but he made her love the wind in her hair and the ocean spray on her skin. The sun never burned so bright and the rain never felt so clean. She would remember the days where they would lay together under the trees and drink and kiss and feel so at home in each others arms. He made her feel alive in a world that had hurt her more than a few times.  
  
Until he hurt her too.  
  
Now the turtle ducks were slightly more annoying creatures. They would squawk in the most irritating way. Their wings beat with a ferocious urgency, as if they would die of sleep deprivation lest they not make it to the water before sundown. The worst was the women and children cooing about how cute they were or how much they wanted one as a pet. Such drivel was enough to make her sick, but it was still better than the mechanical clanking of cars and all the machinery that haunted her far after her shift at the station ended. The slicing and the whooshing and the pain and—  
  
The sound of metal on metal still made her squirm.  
  
It was quiet nights like these that Lin would sit in her apartment (alone), sit by the window with a cup of tea, watch the sun set just below the horizon, and pretend like she thought the squawking turtle ducks annoyed her. She would watch people walk home (together) and wish that she still had the energy to go out and meet someone but she was too damn tired. Everything just made her so damn tired.  
  
Thinking made Lin upset and angry, so she just looked out the window with her tea and did not think of much of anything.  
  
At least that had been the plan until she felt someone approaching her door. By the steady but light step, the approximate weight, and the hurried pace, Lin assumed it was a woman, about 5’7”, a waterbender, and in a hurry.  
  
It had to be Korra.  
  
The Chief didn’t realize she had the energy to move as fast as she did until she opened the door before Korra even had the chance to knock.  
  
“What’s wrong?”  
  
Without even having to say anything, Lin knew that something had happened. To be blunt, Korra looked like shit. The bags under her eyes were darker than even her own, she had a pastiness to her skin that made her look especially gaunt without even taking into account that the young woman had most certainly lost weight, and there was barely a spark in the eyes that Lin had time and again found to be so shocking in their spirit and color.  
  
The girl opened her mouth, but her words came out barely louder than the turtle ducks.  
  
“It’s Asami.”  
  
“Sit.”  
  
Korra frowned as Lin motioned to the chair by the window.  
  
“You aren’t going to make me tea, are you?”  
  
“No, but you look like you’re going to faint.”  
  
She grabbed her shoulders and forcibly moved her to the wicker furniture.  
  
“Don’t worry about me,” she insisted, waving away Lin’s prodding hands. “Asami’s gone missing.”  
  
Beifong’s mouth was tight as she crouched down in front of Korra and examined every line in her face. She pressed her fingers to the Avatar’s neck and felt her irregular heartbeat. After a few moments of silence, Korra became irate.  
  
“What the hell are you doing? Say something! Can’t you help me?”  
  
“When was the last time you ate, Korra? Or I guess I should ask, when was the last time you ate without purging after?”  
  
“How can this possibly more important than—?!”  
  
“You are severely dehydrated and have bradycardia, which means you could die.” The answer seemed to not phase the seething teenager, so Lin grit her teeth and growled, “Answer the damn question.”  
  
Without so much as an attempt to lie (especially seeing as Lin could tell if she was lying by her heart rate), she muttered, “Four days ago.”  
  
“Spirits, Korra.” The woman stood up and went to the cabinets. “Now I am going to make you some tea, and you better drink it.”  
  
Lin began to prepare the tea in a hurried manner, pouring water into a kettle and picking out the appropriate leaves. The combination the mundane action and the urgency of it made Korra feel helpless.  
  
“Are you listening to me?” she pleaded. “Asami could have been captured by Amon. She could be killed because you’re wasting time making me fucking tea instead of helping her!”  
  
“Watch your mouth young lady,” Lin chided.  
  
“No! I am begging you to please, please do something,” Korra pleaded, jumping up from her seat. “I need your help and instead, you're here being worried about me!”    
  
The Chief turned around and leaned against the counter, arms folded over her chest. There was a deep crease between her eyebrows. “I’ll listen if you sit back down.”  
  
Korra sat on the chair and folded her hands in attempt to get them to steady as she spoke.  
  
"I got a call from Asami who was really upset because she had found out that her dad was an Equalist sympathizer—“ Lin’s eyes grew wide at the information, “—and I told her that she could come to Air Temple Island so she wouldn’t have to go back to her place, but then she never came, and I haven’t heard from her since.”  
  
The water began to boil, so Lin flipped around, took the kettle from the heat, poured it over the leaves, and set it in front of Korra. Before she could get her hands on it, Lin poured some coconut milk in the cup and placed a few biscuits on a plate in front of her.  
  
“Now, I want you to eat,” she snapped, “and you can’t go to the bathroom after.”  
  
As if she couldn’t care less, Korra began shoving a biscuit in her mouth as she was talking. “So, what are you going to do about Asami?”  
  
Lin sat at the chair on the other side of the table and laced her fingers underneath her chin.  
  
“All there is to do is wait until tomorrow and—“  
  
“No!” Korra exclaimed, slamming down her cup of tea mid drink. “It might be too late by tomorrow.”  
  
“Listen. There is nothing I can officially do until she had been missing for two days. It isn’t a missing persons case until the victim has been gone for forty-eight hours.”  
  
A tiny bit of spark flickered in Korra’s eye as she said, “Then, what can you do unofficially?”  
  
Lin was slightly amused by her persistence, but did not let it show on her face. They held each other’s stares as if it were a contest, but like always, Lin had the upper hand.  
  
“If you finish the tea and cookies, we can have that discussion.”  
  
In all her years on the police force, Beifong had never seen someone inhale food so quickly.  
  
“Done.”  
  
Even Lin’s most earnest scowl could not ward off the small chuckle the young girl’s determination brought out of her. Korra was really something else.  
  
“Fine. I’m going to help you, but there are two conditions.”  
  
Korra nodded.  
  
“One: we’re going to contact Mako and Bolin—“  
  
“I don’t want them to get hurt.”  
  
“If anything, they’ll be sufficient backup granted we get into a struggle with some Equalists.”  
  
With a sigh, she muttered, “Fine, what else?”  
  
“Two: we’ll get to work after you eat a real meal, not any of this biscuit nonsense.”  
  
The girl let out a whine.  
  
“How unbecoming of a young lady.”  
  
Korra glared at her.  
  
“I have to warn you that as much as I’d love to have substantial amounts of food, sometimes it just…doesn’t agree.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “And sometimes, I don’t even do it, it just happens.”  
  
“We’ll have to take that chance. I’m not going to have you pass out while in pursuit of Amon.”  
  
Lin noticed the hesitation at his name. She hadn’t realized Korra was still so nervous, but she guessed she should have realized that her strong reaction towards Asami’s capture was inflated by her fear that Asami may suffer the same fate she had.  
  
After thinking it over for a few seconds, Korra nodded.  
  
“Whatever it takes to bring her home.”  
  
The older woman frowned a bit when she got up to start preparing some rice and left over tofu from her dinner the night before. Having her back turned to Korra made it easier for her to talk because she didn’t have to meet her eyes.  
  
“It’s okay to be frightened.”  
  
“I’m not scared.”  
  
Lin gave her an unimpressed “humph” and a shrug.  
  
“I’m sure that’s not true.”  
  
“How would you know?” Korra huffed, leaning back in her chair and waterbending the droplets on the edge of her teacup.  
  
There was silence for a minute or so, just the clinking and clanking of dishes. However, Lin let out a heavy sigh after a while.  
  
“I got pretty roughed up by a thug during the first the first few months of my training.”  
  
The honesty surprised Korra, enough that she stopped fidgeting in her chair and gave the back of her head her full attention.  
  
“Were they, like, triads or—?”  
  
“No,” she grunted, “it was one of my superiors.”  
  
“Oh.” It was Korra’s turn to have her eyebrows knit together as she processed the information. “Wasn’t your mom the chief? Why didn’t you tell her?”  
  
“Do you want to the simple answer or the more complicated one?”  
  
“Well, I guess, both.”  
  
Once the rice was cooking and the tofu was heating up in a pan, Lin sat back in the chair, an exhaustion apparent in her body language.  
  
“The real answer is I was scared and had been manipulated into keeping quiet. I just pretended like it wasn’t happening. However, I didn’t know that he couldn’t get me thrown off the force even if he wanted to, so, in retrospect, that might have changed things. Regardless, I eventually told Tenzin after the guy retired, and he was angry enough for the both of us.”  
  
“What’s the complicated answer?”  
  
“That it's hard to tell anyone. There’s a trend in sexual assault where more often than not, women get told that they could have somehow prevented it or that they’re making it up or that they even wanted it. All of that is bullshit, but so many people fall into that trap, myself included. No one wants to get raped.”  
  
Lin watched as Korra swallowed, tapping her fingers on the wooden table.  
  
“It’s okay to be scared. Holding your emotions in doesn’t help.”  
  
“I just want to know why does this happen to so many people?”  
  
Lin frowned.  
  
“Someone else you know?”  
  
Knowing that Asami’s business was not to be shared with Lin, Korra muttered, “Yeah.”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s not you fault.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter who’s fault it is. Fault can be a slippery slope.”  
  
“How so?”  
  
“Because it sounds like you’re blaming yourself.”  
  
Korra looked out the window at the now black sky. She hoped Lin would stop talking.  
  
“I’m not.”  
  
Leave it to Lin to not believe her once again.  
  
“Korra.”  
  
This time, her eyes met Lin’s in a strange sense of urgency that was not panic or fear, but shame.  
  
“So what if I blame myself? It is my fault, isn’t it?”  
  
In Lin’s small apartment, there was an uncomfortable silence that they both swam in, seeing as though they were unsure of how to say anything that wouldn’t divulge too many personal feelings.  
  
“It can’t be your fault,” Lin said with a heavy amount of certainty. “Having someone hurt you against your will is never your fault.”  
  
Even though Korra heard the Chief’s words, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to accept them. Yes, she could have sat there and bemoaned how awful Amon was and if only, what if, how come, but what good would that have done? It felt so much easier to frown and pretend like she was the failure, that she could fix this by starving and purging and pushing through the pain with a stone cold heart.  
  
Lin noticed the uneasy look on her face and put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true.” Right when Korra swore Lin was going to becone even more sentimental, she remembered that she had been cooking food, and got up to check on it.  
  
“Just don’t beat yourself up over it.”  
  
“Easy for you to say, Chief.”  
  
Korra could see the woman’s shoulders tense, but she didn’t turn back around.  
  
“Yeah, because it’s always easy for me, huh?”

And that was when Lin's demeanor changed. No longer was she sympathetic as she aggressively scooped the food on and plate and slammed it down in front of Korra. Crossing her arms, standing with her legs a little more than a shoulder-widths apart, Lin grunted, "Now eat." The Avatar looked up at her and matched the Chief's hollow glare as she began to shove the tofu and rice in her mouth.

Disregarding the anger felt towards Lin, Korra was surprised that she was angry at _herself_ for letting Lin convince her so easily to give into eating, to go against her natural inclination to punish herself for events out of her control. She felt shame mount in her chest each time she brought the chopsticks to her lips. Her mind screamed at her to stop. For a moment, she hesitated, looking like she was about to set her utensils, but Lin barked at her, and she resumed her consumption.

Lin couldn't help but notice that Korra looked extremely uncomfortable. Hadn't this been the girl who a few days ago wouldn't skip a meal if her life depended on it? Now, she had to be forced to eat anything at all. Maybe this was something she should be worried about.

But, only a few minutes later, she had cleared her plate.

"May I go now, mom?"

"No. I'll call Air Temple Island and get Mako and Bolin to meet us."

"What? But why?"

Lin's glare was icy when she said, "Because I'm not going to have you purge before we get ourselves into a dangerous situation. You know every time you do that, your electrolytes are thrown out of whack?" Korra became even more uncomfortable, if that was possible. "The last thing I need is to have you pass out."

She omitted Amon's name this time.

Korra knew she was right, but it still made her irrationally angry that Lin was trying to control her actions.

"You're being ridiculous. It's not like I actually have a problem or anything."

"Oh, do you not? Last time I checked, people don't usually starve themselves and then vomit every time they eat anything."

Her comment forced Korra into silence. Okay, maybe she did have a problem, but it was making things tolerable. Couldn't Lin at least respect that?

Korra did not speak as Lin called for the boys to meet them at the docks in an hour. She didn't speak as they cleaned up and got ready to leave. She didn't speak until they walked out of Lin's apartment and the sharp air biting her skin made Korra murmur, "I just hope Asami's okay."

Lin turned to her as they walked down the lamplit streets. "Don't worry, kid. We'll find her."

But, for not the first time that week, Korra wasn't so sure.

* * *

Just as they planned, Mako and Bolin made their way to the docks and met up with Korra and Lin. Neither of the brothers asked why Korra had been with Lin in the first place or why she looked so despondent, but they did wonder.

"Where should we start?" Mako asked.  
  
"Underground."  
  
Bolin had said that when they captured them, they took him underground.  
  
“That must be where Asami is.”

They did not fail to notice that Korra's confidence seemed awfully forced.  
  
The nervousness in Mako’s eyes, Bolin’s tense demeanor, and the extra large gate of Korra’s step told Lin that this mission was definitely a personal one. Instead of feeling as though she were babysitting a bunch of teenagers, she was on a reconnaissance mission with three adults that had already seen too much in their days. Walking in the slums of Republic City had never seemed so bittersweet.  
  
“If they’re anywhere around here, I’ll be able to see them.”  
  
This was Lin’s cue to peel back her boot and slam the underside of her foot into the ground. Republic City lit up in her mind’s eye, grids upon grids of streets, buildings, people, animals, and concrete—  
  
There it was, clear as day, a tunnel just above the sewer system.  
  
Lin turned around and pointed down the opposite alley before grunting, “That way.”  
  
It was interesting that Amon would have picked an underground hideout that was so detectable by the Chief of Police, and it was interesting that they started running towards his lair without asking any questions.  
  
However, when Lin was able to metalbend herself inside the bars protecting the bunker and open up practically every door they found, it because strikingly obvious that something was wrong.  
  
They expected opposition. They expected chi-blockers or triads or Amon or something to stop them. Lin was very good at finding things underground. Did they know that? Did they anticipate her helping them? Getting into their underground base was child’s play, and even their shipping cars were unmanned.  
  
It could be seen on all of their faces: This is too easy.    
  
Not even thirty seconds after they made it into the main area of his underground hideout, their presence was detected.  
  
There were chi-blockers everywhere. Chi-blockers ready for them. Chi-blockers ready to take out their bending in no time at all. Korra’s eyes opened up wide at the sight of the hundreds of little red eyes staring back at her. She turned to Lin, eyes full of fear.  
  
“It was a trap.”  
  
The words echoed around in Lin’s brain like an unending mantra of foolishness. Why had she not realized that Asami was just the bait, that Korra was the main catch? Lin threw herself in front of Korra and the boys and shouted, “You two, get her out of here!”  
  
It would have been fine if they had reacted faster and if the chi-blockers had not reacted so fast. Mako and Bolin prepared to run, but Korra stayed put and readied to fight.  
  
“Korra, get out of here!” Lin shouted. Korra barely heard her, as she was already dodging flying jabs and electric shocks. The Chief spun around, looking to see if Mako and Bolin had escaped, but only saw Korra bending for her life, trying to get those awful red-eyed monsters away from her. She flipped back to defend herself with her metal cables, but they were so damn fast that before she could even begin to bend, the chi-blockers managed to smash their fists into her joints.  
  
“ _No!_ ”  
  
She couldn’t even tell who had let out that cry of desperation, but her legs gave out and she was on the ground, paralyzed.  
  
“Korra, run!”  
  
It was strange to see the girl’s blue eyes so steadfast and determined when just a few hours they had been dull and broken. The predicament was that she couldn’t run. If she started to run, she would have been captured before she could even reach the mouth of the underpass. They were trapped and both Lin and Korra knew it.  
  
Half of Lin was glad that Bolin and Mako had got away safely (they could always get help), but the other half wanted to scream and yelled at them for not taking Korra with them. Korra was the key to all this. If Korra was safe, everyone was safe. But, Korra was going to be captured, just like she was.  
  
Which meant she had failed.  
  
Lin couldn’t watch as one of the chi-blockers managed to get Korra in the shoulder. She cringed when she let out a strangled yell and another fireball from the other, still functional, hand. Then, there were sounds of more hits landing on the girl.  
  
“You monsters!” Korra growled, her knees being pulled to the ground. “You’re all monsters!”  
  
Lin rested her forehead on the ground, dread sweeping over her.

Never had she felt so guilty for such a grave mistake.


	8. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so, so, so sorry it took so long to update. I promise I'm not giving up on it, but school and writers block has been rough lately. Anyway, hope you like it...

Korra wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but being disarmed and paralyzed by dozens of chi-blockers had not been it.  
  
It was almost too much. She just kept seeing _beady red eyes_ staring down at her, and it wasn’t just a hallucination or a memory or a nightmare. She was actually _seeing_ them, and it shook her to her core. The Avatar was irrationally (or perhaps rationally) afraid to the point where she was shaking. The chi-blockers threw her and Lin over their shoulders as if they weighed nothing and carried them to the shipping carts where they threw them down forcefully.  
  
“Y-You can’t do this!” Korra shouted, trying to find the feeling in her limbs so she could struggle. “You fucking monsters — I’ll kill you!”  
  
“Korra, _shhh_ — _!_ ” Lin hushed her when she saw red beady eyes on them once again.  
  
“No, I will not ‘ _shhh!_ ’ They’re monsters! How can they do this to innocent people?!”  
  
Her fear was causing her to blabber on and on even though only Lin could see that they were about to shut her up.  
  
“Korra! For Spirit’s sake, be quiet!”  
  
But, they had already pulled out a syringe, and they jabbed it into her thigh, hard enough that Korra yelped, “What the hell was that?” She couldn’t crane her neck to the right angle to see what had actually happened, so her eyes flashed — lost, horrified — at Lin. And all Lin could do was watch as the spark in her eyes faded, and her head fell limp against the cart.  
  
One of the chi-blockers turned to Lin and snarled, “Now are you going to be a good little girl?”  
  
This was not Lin’s first rodeo. She had been called every name under the sun, and ‘good little girl’ was laughably weak considering some of the words thrown around in the slums.  
  
She simply raised an eyebrow and looked slightly amused.  
  
“That’s not an answer, _bender_.”  
  
The word held poison as he spoke it. It almost made Lin flinch. Almost.  
  
“If what I say is not what you want to hear, should I still say it?”  
  
The chi-blocker paused, as if behind the mask he would look puzzled. Fortunately, he said nothing more, and instead motioned for his buddy to move the cart forward. Lin’s mind was working at around the same speed as the cart as it blasted farther down into the labyrinth of concrete and beady red eyes. She had to find a way out of this. She just _had_ to. For her own sake. For Korra’s sake. For the city’s sake.  
  
But what could she do when she was paralyzed and helpless? Lin was not one to admit helplessness, but she had no choice. Her body was limp, and it was agonizing. Her body was still, but her thoughts were racing. The terror she felt was great. It would have been palpable if not for the steel walls Lin had built around herself long ago. She could probably walk through a burning building without flinching. Kidnapping was no issue on the surface, but on the inside, it hurt more than her pride.  
  
It hurt so much.  
  
Regardless of her instinct to blame herself (even though it was her fault), she didn't have time to feel sorry for herself. When the cart lurched to a stop and the chi-blockers picked up the two limp benders, Lin closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. _Think Lin, think!_ the chief chided herself. Her eyes darted down the corridor, surveying the prison quickly for possible escape routes. There were doors on both sides, however, one of them looked like it hadn't been opened it ages.  
  
(Would she be able to open it if she escaped when her chi was beginning to reemerge? How much could someone bend if their chi was still partially blocked? Oh, Spirits, if she tried to get out and got caught, that could be the end of her bending forever, and where would that leave them? Fucked. They would be fucked. Spirits, Spirits—!)  
  
Lin's thoughts were getting the best of her (as they usually did), so she continued to breathe and look around, and even when they were thrown in a dark, damp cell (with no discernible amenities to speak of), all she could focus on was  _not losing her head_. Korra and Lin's body made an especially loud thump as they were thrown to the ground, and the older woman couldn't help but thank the Spirits that Korra wasn't awake to feel the shocking pain of a limp body connecting with concrete.

The poor girl didn't deserve to deal with any more pain than she already was.  


* * *

 

She wasn't sure when she started regaining consciousness, but when she did, all the could feel was pain.

Everything was cold. Very cold. Her skin felt hot, but her body was cold. Her bones felt cold. Yet, even so, her mind was so slowed that she couldn't figure out if she was shivering or still paralyzed or what...

She couldn't understand what was going on, but she did know that Lin was with her, and that made her feel safer. Korra had never realized how strong and unyielding Lin’s will was. Well, she had, but she hadn't seen Lin in such dire straights before (how dire, Korra couldn't quite yet conceptualize), and the chief didn't seem much different than how she usually was. In fact, she might even be acting slightly nicer than she usually did.  
  
Lin laid next to her and whispered that things were going to be alright, going to be fine (even though they weren’t).  
  
“W-where’s B-Bol…”  
  
“They got away, Korra. They’re going to get help.”  
  
“Where are we…?”  
  
Lin’s eyes grew steely and hard, her mouth stretched tight over her teeth.  
  
“A prison.” Korra would have been more shocked if her brain hadn’t been slowed so much. She just let her head lay on the ground and look through the bars of the cell.  
  
“I bet Asami’s here.”  
  
Lin sighed, not sure if she was or not, but not wanting to kill any more of her spunk. “Maybe.”  
  
“Is Amon here?”  
  
“I haven’t seen him.”  
  
“Is he going to come here?”  
  
“I don’t know, but I won’t let him hurt you.”  
  
“I don’t want him to hurt you either.”  
  
“I’ll be fine.”  
  
The wide-eyed, dazed stare Korra gave Lin breathed nostalgia into her. She looked suspiciously like Kya at her age, piercing blue eyes and sharp cheek bones to boot. It was sad that in such a dire moment she couldn’t help but notice that the young girl was strikingly beautiful, even considering she was doped up on a filthy prison floor.  
  
“Lin,” she whispered, “It’s cold in here.”  
  
Even though they were next to each other, the frigid air had coated their skin like clothing. Being on the floor didn’t help. Their captures didn’t even give them the courtesy of a bed, just metal bars that Lin couldn’t for the life of her bend (they had been chi-blocking them every hour or so. Why Amon hadn't just taken their bending, Lin had no idea).  
  
“I know.”  
  
Another dreadful pause.  
  
“What are we going to do?”  
  
“Wait for someone to help us.”  
  
“What if no one comes?”  
  
Lin’s head snapped to the girl, seeing not helplessness but a genuine curiosity.  
  
“Then, we’ll have to find a way to get out of here.”  
  
This seemed to satisfy Korra more since she let her eyes close.

Lin counted the seconds during the next pause. One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand, four-one thousand—

Instead of Korra being the one to interrupt her thoughts (or lack thereof), it was a man's voice that sent another sweeping wave of dread through the Chief. Two chi-blockers stood just a few feet away, but they were looking into the cell as if Lin and Korra were animals in a zoo.

"It's your turn, _Avatar_ ," one of them snarled with so much contempt that Lin felt his hatred in her chest, and that scared her. Korra looked much less fazed, her glassy eyes opening and trying to focus on the man on the other side of the bars.

"M-Me...?" she responded weakly yet, somehow, more coherently.

"Hmph." The man didn't even give her the courtesy of a response. He opened the bars (and Lin swore over and over in her mind because she couldn't fucking move, and she felt so helpless), stalking over to Korra and throwing her over his shoulder as if this was the customary way of transporting the prisoners.

In that moment, Korra sparked to life.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait—" she communicated with surprising lucidity, "—you have Asami, don't you? Please let me see her. I don't care what you do with me after, I just need to make sure she's alright."

Lin's eyebrows raised in shock. She hadn't _actually_ expected Korra to be willing to sacrifice her own safety for this girl she had only known a few weeks. Going to rescue her, sure, that's what the Avatar does, but saying she cared more about Asami than she cared about herself...well...that was pretty amazing.

The two chi-blockers shared a look.

"This isn't a luxury hotel, Avatar. You don't just get whatever you want here." His words implied that they were under the impression Korra was treated like a king, servants and slaves and adoring fans always at her beck and call. It wasn't true, but it was the image of her that prevailed in their minds. It was the misconception that Amon preached and reinforced to make her an unsympathetic figure.

Reality, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

"Please. I'm not saying you have to let me go. I'm not saying that. I just _need to see her._ "

"Tough luck, kid."

When the chi-blockers began to walk out, Korra made the most pitiful sound, something between a growl of anger and a cry of hopelessness.

"Do you want me to _beg?_ I-I will if you want. I'll do anything. Please!"

The urgency in her voice made the both of them pause. Even though they hated her more than they could possibly articulate, it was difficult to be purely evil to a girl who was moments away from tears. This wasn't the Avatar that they had always seen, the one that was unforgiving and smug and stubborn. This was just a girl who wanted to see her friend safe.

"I assure you, she's alright—"  
  
But, Korra also knew that she had no idea what waited for her after once she was taken away. Words didn't mean anything. She might die without ever seeing Asami again, and the thought made tears prick at her eyes.

"I-I'm not asking anything of you. Please. Just let me talk to her for five minutes. _Please._ "

There was a long, _long_ pause. Lin held her breath. Korra's breath was shuddering as she pretending like a stray tear wasn't running down her face.

It must have been several shared glances and thirty seconds later that finally one of the men spoke up.

"Fine. But, if you even try to escape, you'll never see the girl again."

Her sigh of relief sounded more like a choked sob, unable to hold in the intense fear that strangled her mind. Lin's sigh of relief was just that, a sigh of relief, but she wasn't very relieved. And, as the chi-blockers carried her limp body away, Lin grimly wondered if Korra was capable of making it out of there in one piece.

* * *

  
  
The chi-blocker was rather rude, throwing the Avatar down like a sack of potatoes. It was nice that he was allowing her to see Asami in the first place, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t feel the pain that ricocheted through her chest as her body fell in a heap on the floor.  
  
There was a tiny gasp from the other side of the cell followed by a sharp cry of, “ _Korra!_ ”  
  
Korra’s eyes lazily moved from the shutting bars to the heiress’s pretty, distressed face.  
  
“Asami.” Unlike the other girl, Korra said her name like someone had punched her in the stomach. Seeing Asami with smudged makeup and mussed hair and with an expression caught between overjoyed and horrified was frightening to Korra. “Did he hurt you?” she gasped. Her inability to move well had escalated from annoying to infuriating in a matter of seconds. Korra wanted to leap up, run over to Asami and hug her, but she could barely find the energy to sit upright. Fortunately, Asami wasn’t restrained, so she was able to crawl over to Korra.  
  
“No,” she murmured, “I haven’t even seen Amon at all.”  
  
This struck Korra as strange. She would have thought that after all this time, Amon would have tried something on her.  
  
“That’s good, I guess.”  
  
Asami tilted her head. “Have you been doing okay?”  
  
“I’ve been worried about you.”  
  
“I should have figured. I think Amon is—” she paused, took in a deep breath, and continued, “—using me to get to you.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
That would explain why she had been captured right after Asami called her, why no one had tried to stop them, why they had been so easily ambushed. It was a trap to lure her back into Amon’s clutches.  
  
“I’m so sorry. I wish I could tell you not to look for me.”  
  
“But, I could never let you be in danger.”  
  
Korra’s blue eyes were wide and fearful, but she had a look of determination about her that made Asami feel a bit safer.  
  
“Thank you,” she smiled, putting an arm around the Avatar’s shoulders. Korra’s body relaxed against Asami’s chest, a mountain of stress running from her skin onto the heiress. It was a horrible situation they were in, but on the other hand, Asami was there. She had found her. She wasn’t in any more trouble than Korra was at the moment. Although, the amount of trouble was monumental.  
  
Half of her didn’t want to even think about want might happen next and that the only reason she was even with Asami is that the Equalists were humoring her. They could have ripped her out of her cell and thrown her to Amon, but they had enough pity (or sick amusement) to let her see her friend.  
  
Out of the blue, Korra whispered, “He’s going to do it again.”  
  
Asami jumped at the sound of her voice; it’s weak and horse nature was so unlike Korra that it was frightening.  
  
She didn’t say anything, only held her tighter.  
  
“Why is he doing this to us?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
All they could do was sit on the floor and wonder when a guard would come in and tell them that Korra was wanted in the other room, and it scared them both to death.  
  
“I don’t want it to be like this. I wanted to get you and leave. I wanted to be away from all this.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“I was so scared when you disappeared. I thought Amon was going to take advantage of you and the thought of that was just tearing me apart.”  
  
They turned to look at each other, teal and green eyes meeting in search of comfort. Maybe if they didn’t look so sad, it would have been more effective, but Spirits, it didn’t get much bleaker than this.  
  
“I never got to say I was sorry for being so unhelpful in the arena the other day,” Asami broke their eye contact to look at the ground. “I’m not very good at knowing the right thing to say sometimes. I should be, but as a socialite, I can only effective ask about the weather and other things that don’t matter.”  
  
To Asami’s relief, Korra burst out laughing and shook her head. “No way, you’re the most charismatic person I’ve ever met! I always say something inappropriate, but you’re right there with the perfect response.”  
  
“It’s just that I felt like I was just standing there and being super unhelpful.”  
  
Korra gave her a thoughtful look before explaining, “No, honestly, after the amount of people asking if I was okay, it was amazing to just have someone understand.” After she said it, Korra frowned. “I mean, it’s not a good thing that you understand because it’s actually horrible, but it was a relief—“  
  
“Hey,” Asami broke in with a smile, “it’s fine. I know what you mean.”  
  
“See, there you go with the ‘saying the right thing’ ability.”  
  
The heiress laughed, green eyes dancing with light as if there was actually a window in the dark prison cell.  
  
“I’m glad you appreciate it.”  
  
“I do.”  
  
“Well, I guess it’s my turn to say something dumb, so here goes nothing. Sorry that your first time was with Amon. That sucks.”  
  
Korra feigned a smile (it was noticeably more pained than the ones before). “Yeah, but he never kissed me, so I still have a first to look forward to.”  
  
As if there was a different dynamic in the room, Asami kind of pulled away and asked, “You’ve never kissed anyone before?”  
  
“No. To tell you the truth, I wanted it to be with Mako, but now that he’s with you—“ as if she did not realize what she was saying before she said it, Korra balked at her own words, “—oh Spirits, I did not mean to say that—“  
  
Fortunately, Asami was more amused than angry. “Oh, don’t worry about it. He’s not that great of a kisser anyway. I saved you on that one.”  
  
“That’s actually pretty surprising. I would’ve thought he was the master.”  
  
“Nope. To be honest, I think I’ve had a little more experience,” Asami admitted, sticking her tongue out a little. She wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed, proud, or both.  
  
There was a moment of silence where it looked like Korra was processing the conversation. Then, with the most serious tone she could muster, she proclaimed, “I think we should kiss.”  
  
The heiress blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t just imagining things.  
  
“Me? Kiss you? You want me to be your first kiss?”  
  
The Avatar nodded with enough ernest to make Asami feel a pang of guilt. It wasn’t like she was trying to coerce Korra into thinking that she had to kiss someone to be “normal” (whatever that meant anyway).  
  
“I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t kiss Mako ever. I’m not opposed to sharing as long as you ask first.”  
  
“No, no, what I’m saying is, I want you to kiss me so I don’t have to kiss—”  
  
Amon.  
  
“Oh, oh! Oh, okay, I—“ she swallowed hard, realizing this was an interaction that her cultured upbringing had not prepared her for, “—I can do that.”  
  
It was interesting that just by mentioning the idea, Korra couldn’t help but look at Asami differently. It was hard to ignore that she was so striking, but even sitting on the concrete of a prison cell, Asami seemed to have a kind of otherworldly beauty. On a normal day, Korra ignored the supple wave of her hair, the soft contour of her cheek bones, the graceful swing of her hips, and it was actually interesting to allow herself to feel something she had been repressing for so long. It was almost freeing to look at her and not feel guilty that she thought she was drop dead gorgeous.  
  
Korra was gaining some feeling back in her limbs, so she was able to put her hand on Asami’s sleeve. Asami smiled weakly and asked, “Are you sure?”  
  
The Avatar nodded, “Yes, ma’am.”  
  
It was rather seamless, the way Asami leaned into Korra, and their lips met. Like everything Asami did, she was very graceful in taking Korra’s bottom lip between her own. It was powerful yet kind in a way that Korra appreciated. Soon, they melted into each other, warmth spreading over their skin as if she were sun bathing. She didn’t remember when Asami hands began caressing her cheeks, but it must have been around the same time that Korra gasped and Asami’s tongue began tracing the inside of her mouth.  
  
It was all very exciting for Korra since she had never been with someone like this. And, to make things better, Asami knew what she was doing, and the things she could do with her tongue were driving her crazy. It became a blur of limbs and mouths, and the tightness and longing in Korra’s chest caused her to put her hands on Asami’s hips and pull her onto her lap.  
  
Korra’s forwardness was filling Asami’s lower stomach with warmth, and she ground her hips into the Avatar’s. She had sometimes thought of Korra as something more of a friend (come on, who hadn’t?), but this was a little more than she had let her mind wander to. Even so, her touch was electrifying. It wasn’t like Mako didn’t give her a similar feeling, but Korra seemed like she wanted to never let her go, to make her feel wanted and sexy, to be her escape before they were separated once again.  
  
When Asami pulled away, Korra groaned in disappointment, body arching into the other woman’s in yearning. She had to blink a few times to clear the haze in her head, but almost as quickly as the heavy desire set on them, it began to wane.  
  
Blue and green eyes met.  
  
“Wow.”  
  
“Yeah,” Asami blushed. “You better be grateful. First kisses aren’t usually that good.”  
  
Korra giggled and brushed her bangs behind her ear. “I’m immensely grateful, Miss Sato. Thank you.”  
  
It was a shame that the dark, drab cell was so dark and drab because the moment did not have the same intensity as it would if they weren’t in the clutches of Amon. The apprehension weighed on Korra harder than Asami’s lips had, and she could tell.  
  
She still cracked a smile at ‘Miss Sato,’ though.  
  
“Hmm, _Miss Sato_ would enjoy keeping you company for as long as you stay in my humble abode.” Her sarcastic tongue was her only coping mechanism in such dire straights, and she hoped Korra was finding helpful, at least a little bit.  
  
Her hand slipped into the Avatar’s, they they sat there, hand in hand until one of the chi-blockers came into the room and tied both of their hands behind their backs. Korra, however, was the only one that was dragged out of the cell.  
  
Asami’s frown looked to be etched on her face.  



	9. The Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm so, so, so sorry I haven't updated this sooner. School has been crazy, and I've had no time for anything let alone writing. So, here's another chapter I guess.
> 
> But, you must be warned, this chapter is pretty raunchy? Like, I'm sorry for all of y'all saying this is super realistic and stuff because it wasn't meant to be. I'm a sick fuck, and if you're looking for a politically correct account of rape, you've come to the wrong place. I'm just warning you now, don't be upset if this reads like a bad porno because it kind of is. Sorry...
> 
> TW: noncon

The walk was probably the worst part of the whole ordeal.

Knowing that wherever she was being taken would most certainly involve meeting Amon face-to-face (or more appropriately face-to-mask) once again filled her with such dread, Korra was sure she was either going to throw up or faint. Both, unfortunately, were not options at the moment, not as she was being dragged by chi-blockers to Spirits-know-where to be further degraded.

What did he actually want from her? To break to into a million pieces? She was already shattered, what more could he do? What did he want?

Why? Why? Why? 

"Why are you doing what he says?" she muttered, eyes fixed to the floor.

"Because Amon is going to give us what we deserve." His tone was sadistic at best, an acid to his tone that almost made Korra flinch. 

"And you'll be getting what you deserve," the other one chimed in. 

"B-But, I haven't  _done anything_ ," she pleaded, the desperation in her face finally leaking into her voice.

"Like hell you haven't."

"You're the reason for our suffering."

"Well, you're the reason for  _mine_ ," she spat, struggling against the man's grip on her arm that kept tightening as they walked.

"Good," he said, "now you know how it feels. 

Korra didn't know what to say. Of course, she felt bad for whatever pain they had been caused, but for Spirit's sake, it wasn't the answer to hurt her!

( ~~Or maybe it was. After all, the Avatar was supposed to keep balance, and this, this was not balance. This was tyrany. Maybe it _was_ her fault. Maybe she did deserve to be punished.~~ )

It became apparent that Korra was lost in her thoughts because the next thing she knew, she was in the doorway of some shabby looking room. It was lined with of wood, probably so no one could bend it even if they wanted to.

"We're going to keep you in here," one chi-blocker explained, shoving her into the room with unnecessary force.

"And just so you don't get any ideas..." the other one chimed in, stalking over and delivering several well timed and exact blows to her body. Her energy faded for just a moment as the familiar sensation of being chi-blocked rose within her once again. When her eyes opened, she was on her knees, the glowing eyes of the men in front of her staring down at her with malice.

Without so much as another word, they left, and the door locked with a harrowing _click_.

Korra's head dropped to her chest, defeat absolving her of her sins, real or imagined. 

~~Maybe she did deserve to be punished.~~

She didn't want to look around, didn't want to inspect the room. She knew there was a bed. She dreaded the fact that there was a bed. The cells didn't have beds but this fucking room had a fucking bed. Korra had to keep her emotions in check because she honestly just wanted to cry. But, she was already so weak, crying would have just made her feel worse. Crying would have signified that she had given in. Even though, in the back of her mind, the thought that maybe she should give in tugged at her subconscious. But, her conscious thoughts told her to keep trying. 

(I _don't care about anything._ )

How long could she keep herself by lying?

It couldn't have been fifteen minutes later that the door unlocked once again. When it opened, Korra was still kneeling on the ground, her eyes still downcast.

"What's wrong, Korra?"

Amon's voice had a sarcastic edge, a ' _haha, isn't it funny when I pretend to care_ '-type quality to it. 

"Don't say my name."

_What gives you the right?_

The man crouched down so they were at eye-level with each other. Against her better judgement, Korra's eyes met Amon's, icy blue staring back at her. She grit her teeth, furrowed her eyebrows, did everything she could to look angry and not terrified. 

"It's okay. You don't have to worry."

She balked, teeth unlatching, mouth opening.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Slowly, he helped her up. Korra resisted, but she was weak and chi-blocked and so fucking tired. Every molecule in her body felt like it weighed more than it ever had. Her own biology weighed her down, made her legs heavy, made her mind dull. Her stomach protested, told her to please give it something to eat, but even if she had the option, she would have probably refused.

If the only thing she could control was what she put in her mouth, she would not let anything pass her lips that she did not give explicit approval. 

Amon had managed to stand her up and drag her to the mattress, unceremoniously setting her down on the (less than comfortable, but oh, Spirits, so much better than the floor) bed. He did not speak. He only took off his mask, and Korra could feel his knees sinking into the bed. His light eyes searched hers for some sort of answer, for some sort of reaction that she did not wish to give him.

However, Korra found it shocking to see that man behind the mask. Amon did not look as threatening when she could see the curves of his face and the softness of his skin, although the scar that dragged across his face was a harrowing reminder of the violence he had witnessed. Even his eyes pierced her because they were so blue that they were almost white. She had only seen those eyes in one other person.

If she hadn’t been so scared, she would have called him on it, but speaking might enrage him. Korra didn’t want to relive last week’s pain (laying on the concrete, staring up at his silver eyes through murky tears). She shook when Amon’s thumb brushed her cheek bone softly.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Those words forced her to choke on air because hadn’t she dreamt they would come from his mouth?

She didn’t understand why. 

In the darkness of the room, he let his lips touch hers with a softness that could fool her into believing he cared for her.

Why? Why? Why?

Why was he doing this to her?

Why was this happening?

Why was he being so kind?

Some part of her brain rationalized that if he was violent and forceful that it would be okay to hate him, but his lips lightly grazed her cheeks and his fingers ran through her hair in a way that made her body shiver. She wanted him to hit her because violence would have at least made sense. These soft touches did not. This was worse than violence because she hated admitting to herself that his touches were pleasurable even though they were unwanted. 

Was this the same man that violently forced himself upon her?

He buried his head in her neck, taking in the sensation of her skin beneath his hands. He looked like he reveled in the fluttering breaths, her fingers clutching his clothing. She was reluctant but didn’t protest, which was a source of great tension in the pit of Korra’s stomach.

But, when his hands began to drift down her body, she knew she could not let this happen again.

“No." 

She figured it wasn’t going to help, but the last thing she wanted was the guilt of never having protested.

(But why did it matter? He _knew_ this was not what she wanted, and he didn’t care. He had his hands on her, and she did not want them. He was wrong. She did not deserve anyone to touch her when she didn’t want them to. _She_ _did not deserve to live in fear._ )

In one graceful motion, she slammed her body against his so he was flung off the bed. In that moment, the idea that he might take away her bending did not matter to her. Her bending was just as much a part of her self as her safety was, and she did not want to sacrifice one for the other. She would just have to fight him long enough for her to figure out how to escape.

The door was probably locked (who cares? Try it anyway). The handle rattled but did not move.

Amon got off the floor slowly, making it obvious that he didn’t plan on attacking her. Why would he need to? She was in his grasp. Being locked in a room with nowhere to go was as much of a power play as a physical assault.

“Why are you running?" 

“What a stupid question,” she growled. Her eyes darted to the window and the other door on the far side of the room. How much of a drop would it be if she tried to jump out? Enough to break something? Enough to kill her? But, she couldn’t, not with Lin and Asami still in danger.

“I understand why you would be frightened, but I’m not going to—“ 

“Hurt me? I know. You already said that.”

She was chi-blocked, so she couldn’t bend, but she could try to kick down the door. Normally, she’d have the strength, but since she had eaten one full meal in about a week, her body was having trouble cooperating. 

Instead, she kept talking. 

“Y-You really are a horrible person, you know that?” Korra spat, eyes desperately looking for an escape route. “Keeping us locked up, defenseless. What is wrong with you? What do you want?”

He didn’t speak. Even with his face exposed, emotion did not cross his eyes. He might as well still be wearing his mask. 

“I hate you. If I had my bending right now, I would kill you.”

Amon could tell by the venom in her voice that she was not lying.

Instead of protesting against her childish words, he stepped forward. With every inch he progressed, Korra stepped back, but there was only so far she could go before she hit—

_Thwack!_

—a wall.

The connection between her skull and the wall made her entire body jar. It hurt, but then again, pain wasn’t anything when adrenaline pulsed through her veins. It kind of made her feel okay (she can handle pain, so she can handle any danger), and when Amon came closer, she tried to tackle him again. Korra was marginally successful. Her body weight thrown against the man sent them both crashing to the ground. She tried her best to swing at him, but her fists always connected with floor boards. She couldn’t tell if he was too quick, or she was too slow.

“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you.”

This time, his tone was one of warning. Once he was done humoring her attempts to escape, he flipped over so he had her pinned to the ground. It was all too quick; his hand reached into his robes, he pulled out a syringe, and then, there was a searing in her leg. Korra could, maybe, stand a chance against Amon, but she would lose the battle with drugs every time.

Her head swam as she tried to figure out what had happened. She was on the ground, body sprawled and limp, Amon’s heavy hands pulling her back up to standing. It was difficult to move — the ringing in her ears blurred out her vision, made her limbs swollen with sleep.

As soon as Korra was propped upright against the wall, Amon made a flat, blade-like hand and jabbed it into her shoulder. Immediately, the strength in her fell away, and she fell forward into his chest. 

“Young Avatar.”

She could only open her eyes enough to see that she was being carried over to the bed.

“I will not hurt you or your friends. I only ask that you don’t fight against me. You will only hurt yourself.”

Korra made a weak ‘ _humph’_ sound, fighting the feeling of nausea that swept over her as it had so often in the past two weeks. Fortunately, the darkness that hung at the fringes of her consciousness crept in, and she found herself lost in the imposing slumber medication and surrender.

* * *

She should have been back by now, they should have heard from her by now, this was not good, this was not good at all. It had been a day or two, not just hours, not just minutes, but  _days_ since Asami had seen Korra.

Anyone could tell that Asami was on edge. Rarely did creases appear on her porcelain skin. Rarely did she allow her face to betray her feelings. The young woman was good at controlling her emotions.

(Or maybe she was just suppressing them because what would happen if she let herself feel the pain of losing her mother, of losing maybe even her father, of losing _everything—_?)

But, Korra…Korra was so important. Important to the city, important to _her._ Asami felt as though she couldn’t possibly handle losing her too. Her mind raced continually for hours. She had to think of something to save them. She had to do _something_. She was an inventor after all. She was supposed to think of ways of improving people’s lives, and at this moment, that was mainly Korra’s, Lin’s, and her own.

What could she really do? Asami thought to herself.

The bars looked so steadfast, so impenetrable. Not only was she not a bender, but even if she were, her bending would have probably been sacrificed already. She couldn’t save anyone. 

She couldn’t save anyone.

Not her mother, not her father, not Korra, not anyone. 

She liked to think that she could take care of herself, the she could do everything on her own, but it was obvious that _she couldn’t_. 

Her chest was tight. It was hard to breathe. The cell felt very small, very damp and dank. She could feel her hands shaking, and she could feel her heart pounding. The more she tried to calm down, the more anxious she became. 

(Asami Sato was not a nervous wreck/she did not have panic attacks/she did not miss her mother/she did not cry herself to sleep.)

“Why—?“

The word slipped past her lips as she rubbed away tears that had not yet fallen. 

This experience was scaring her, as it probably should, but probably for the wrong reasons. Sure, she was kidnapped, but that she could handle. What she could not handle was that she was the reason Korra was in danger, that Korra was most likely being hurt (being violated, oh Spirits!). Her chest throbbed with guilt, her heart thumping rudely against her rib cage. For not the first time in her life, Asami wished she could open her chest, pull out her heart, and make it  _stop bothering her._

Asami was not one to pray, but she clasped her hands together whispered hymns that she had read in mythology books growing up, hoping that it would help the situation, make it go away. 

However, there were footsteps down the hall, and she had the frightening suspicion that they were headed in her direction.

Sure enough, moments later, a chi-blocker appeared in front of her cell.

"Think praying is going to save you?"

"No," she answered honestly, hands dropping to her lap.

The man chuckled, unlocking and opening the metal bars much easier than any method that Asami had tried to devise as a means of escaping. 

"C'mon," he barked, coming in and yanking her off the ground. She grunted, her legs weak from sleep. But, she didn't have much choice but to walk unless she wanted to fall to the ground. But, she also didn't want to appear as weak as she felt. That would only make things worse.

After a few moments of walking, Asami being pulled out of her cell without any explanation, she groaned, "Where are we going?"

The chi-blocker didn't respond, as if he hadn't heard her question at all and changed the subject completely.

“We saw you guys necking when you were in the cell together,” he mentioned seemingly offhandedly. 

"What? Me and Korra?"

"Who else have you swapped spit with recently?"

“No, no, I assure you, I have a boyfriend, that was just—" 

“Just what? Do you always make out with your friends like that?” 

“W-Well, no, but—“ 

“Hm, so if you’re so comfortable around her, I guess you wouldn’t mind getting on your knees and doing a little work.”

Green eyes flicked over to the chi-blocker, those lenses staring back at her with an even sicker amusement than she had thought possible from a non expressive mask.

“What are you talking about?”

He didn’t respond (he was a fan of not responding it seemed), and continued to lead Asami into an unmarked room with one of the more shabby wooden doors Asami had seen in her day. He kicked it open, the door slamming against the perpendicularly-placed wall, a _crack!_ echoing through the prison hallway. There was already a chi-blocker in there standing guard.

When Asami was pushed into the room, she froze. There was Korra, bound and chained to the wall like a regular animal, but she was almost completely naked, only her bindings covering what was supposed to be covered. She looked to be unconscious or at least unmoving, her head hanging so her chin connected with her chest.

“So, want to help your friend out a bit?” He brought his fingers up to where his mouth would be if he wasn’t wearing a mask and made a very lewd ‘V’-shaped gesture. The other chi-blocker laughed heartily at her expense. 

Asami’s eyes were wide in horror. 

“No! No. I-I can’t do that…”

But she was pushed forward anyway, a chi-blocker goading her with his electrified baton. The heiress stumbled forward, legs feeling weak from spending so much time on the ground, and of course, from the sight in front of her.

Korra was not fully there. It was pretty obvious by the way her eyes were half open and she wasn’t struggling against her restraints, and she really wasn’t responsive at all. Even as Asami very, very slowly walked forward, the girl’s eyes didn’t so much as move. Asami looked back at the chi-blockers and gaped.

“What did you do to her?”

They did not respond, only pushed their baton into her back and shocked her quite liberally. The girl screamed and dropped to her knees, head swimming and vision turning a little black around the edges. She wasn’t sure how long the pain stayed with her, but when her consciousness stopped flickering, she found that Korra was only a foot or two away from her.

“Go. Unless you want to get shocked again.” 

Asami didn’t look this time, only spat, “ _I told you_ , I’m not doing that to her!”

Before she could brace herself, she was getting shocked again. The electricity ripped through her, and all she could think was, _My dad is one of them, my dad is one of them._ She couldn’t help the scream that ripped through the air. Being electrocuted twice in the span of thirty seconds made her ache, ache, ache. She felt the pain in her bones. It was so excruciating that a few tears fled down her cheeks before she knew that her eyes were even watering.

There was a rustle from in front of Asami, and even though sparks still flashed in her vision, she managed to see Korra struggling to sit up, but either being too weak or too restricted to properly do so.

“S-Stop…hurting…her…”

The commotion alarmed the chi-blockers enough that they actually did stop, but only because they were shocked that Korra was lucid enough to even protest. Her eyes were glassy and her breathing was shallow, and she was not making eye contact with Asami who was trying very hard not to cry.

“Korra! Korra, I’m so sorry—“

“No, it’s not your fault…” she muttered, glancing down at her body which was only covered in badly fastened bindings. The fabric barely covered anything, which was probably the idea, but it was still rather shocking in appearance. She could feel the cold air of the prison on her exposed skin. It was embarrassing.

“Please, K-Korra. I-I don’t want to do this to you.” Her voice was shaking.

“I know.”

“Come on!” The chi-blocker just jabbed her in the back with the baton, hitting the sore spot where they kept shocking her. The yelp from Asami made Korra’s eyes widen. 

“I said, _stop hurting her._ ” Asami couldn’t help that she was now crying, and Korra didn’t look like she was very far away from such a state herself. This was sick, wasn’t it? Being forced to do unmentionable thing to her friend while these evil people with their glowing eyes watched. It was reminiscent of _the first time_ , but for some reason, having it be Asami made it less completely fucking horrible.

It was still pretty horrible though.

Asami hesitated just a second too long, and the baton pushed against her head, forcing her to be against Korra’s lower body. Both women’s eyes widened, a simultaneous yelp escaping from them. They didn’t move, too scared of what was about to happen to consider making it happen. Korra stared down at the girl between her legs with a sort of vague horror that would be analogous to seeing a car crash about to happen before her eyes. 

“Asami—“

“Shut up, or we’ll shock your little friend again.”

Now there was an extra layer of fear overlaying Asami’s terrified expression. With the baton pressed into the back of her head, any electricity would surely be the most pain she had ever experienced. And, as much as she didn’t want to do these things, she also quite liked being conscious and not passed out on the floor due to excruciating agony. Korra closed her mouth and breathed in deeply, but it was cut off because of the gasp that unconsciously escaped. It seemed Asami had shifted against her, her nose brushing against her sensitive skin.

Korra’s eyes said, _Please don’t._

Asami’s eyes said, _I’m so sorry._

The girl’s body jolted because Asami was actually doing what they had told her to do. It wasn’t like she was given much of a choice. It was either do what they say or be shocked half to death, and sure, maybe it was selfish for Asami not to fight more, but she had tried to say no, and it didn’t even come close to working. It wasn’t like she didn’t feel horrible, horrible, _horrible_ about what she was doing. It was worse to see the flashing emotions on Korra’s face.

Fear, a cringe, an even more severe cringe, hopelessness, and finally an involuntary moment of elation.

She dropped her head back and let out a coarse groan. It sounded like her voice had been torn up by screaming and yelling. 

The chi-blockers chuckled at the scene, pretending like what they were making the girls do was just business, just a fun prank to play on the Avatar and the spunky non-bender. Asami wanted to stand up and beat the shit out of them, make them pay for what they had done to her and her friends. She pretended like this wasn’t actually happening, that her tongue wasn’t brushing against Korra’s skin, that Korra wasn’t shaking and twitching under her. It was awful, and the smell and the taste, which she usually enjoyed, was just sickening. It made her want to burn off her skin, to pray to the Spirits to forgive her for her sins.

Asami wasn’t much of a spiritual person, but she would do anything to make Korra’s pain go away.

“’S-Sami…” she gasped, breathing even more shallow, face even more flushed. It sickened Asami that she felt a stab of excitement in her stomach. This _shouldn’t_ have been exciting. Korra’s cries shouldn’t have been pleasurable, but on a certain primal, base level, they were. Her mind told her it was sick, sick, sick, but her body was responding anyway because on a certain level, hadn’t this thought crossed her mind (of course, in different circumstances)? Asami wanted to move her head away since it was hard to breathe, but she couldn’t. The chi-blocker’s baton kept her where she was.

“Need a little help?” one of the men snarled. He moved Korra’s lower bindings so she was completely exposed, and Korra grit her teeth, looking down at Asami and desperately trying not to cry. It was difficult because this was, in a way, not the worst thing that had happened over the past few days. But, at the same time, it was almost the worst thing considering not only was this the most mortifying thing to have done to her without her permission, but it was also hurting Asami, and Asami didn’t deserve this kind of thing. Not that Korra believed she did, but it was easier to pretend that she could take a little more than Asami could even though that was probably untrue.

It was also almost the worst because it really did feel good even if it was against her will. Asami was not inexperienced, so as her tongue glided over her skin, it was difficult to fight back the salacious sounds she so desperately wanted to make. It was awful, awful, awful being torn between giving into the sensations and fighting all of her natural inclinations. Her back arched against her will. Her muscles shook involuntarily. She felt herself wanting to be thrown over that precarious precipice that she found herself hovering over for the past few days.

It was strange that all the things Amon did to her never brought her to orgasm. Maybe it was the fact that she _hated his fucking guts_ , maybe it was because he didn’t know her body, maybe he was too focused on his own sadistic pleasure to care about hers.

But Asami was _good_. Almost too good. It was now a problem. Korra felt like she could be forced over the edge any second. 

Then, it was probably fortunate that, at that moment, the door was flung open. 

“What, dare I ask, is going on here?” 

The voice sent chills down Korra’s spine, and the combination of Asami on her skin and the man in the doorway made her cry out.

“Amon, sir!”

The chi-blocker with the baton at the base of Asami’s skull all but dropped from his grasp. The heiress jerked back and away from Korra, stray tears streaming down her face. 

“Did I give you permission to take Miss Sato from her cell?”

They looked scared as the other chi-blocker stuttered out, “N-No, sir.”

“Then, I suggest you two _leave_.”

“Yes, sir.”

Asami never thought that she’d see the day when chi-blockers ran away with their tails between their legs. 

Her eyes flicked up and over to the doorway, analyzing the man for the first time up close. This was the first time she had seen Amon, but even she could tell that he was angry. Even though he wore a mask, his emotions were apparent in his body language. 

His gaze was directed towards Korra (who was trying her best not to appear flustered, but the heavy breathing and flushed cheeks were a dead giveaway), his shoulders were slightly raised, and his gloved hands were formed into fists. He looked like a force to be reckoned with, but at that moment, she was angry enough to want to take him down herself.

But that was also the moment Asami realized that his icy blue eyes were looking at her. 

“My apologies, Miss Sato,” his voice was deep and even, “I assure you, those men were acting outside of their directive and shall be dealt with accordingly.”

Amon made it seem as though he had done no wrong in this situation even though the only reason Korra was bound and disoriented was because he had captured her in the first place. If her hatred for him could have grown, in that moment, it did.

“This is your fault,” Asami growled, making her way to her feet. “What the hell do you want with her? With us?” Her tone was one of anger, but her eyes were full of sorrow. 

( _Korra doesn’t deserve this._ ) 

He looked unfazed. “My business with the Avatar is none of your concern—“

“Like hell it isn’t! You’re hurting her! You’re abusing her! You let this happen.” Asami’s hands shook as she pressed one to her chest. “Korra’s pain is _my business_.” 

The aforementioned girl blinked as her name was hurled in the air. Asami turned around to see Korra’s almost blank expression, a flicker of appreciation lighting her eyes every once in a while.

Before Amon to respond, Asami shouted again, “What did you do to her?”

“Dilute shirshu toxins.”

Why did he offer up that information so freely? The girl couldn’t help but wonder if he was so sure he would get away with it that he didn’t mind bragging about his methods.

Asami’s jaw was clenched, the muscles in her neck visibly taut under her skin. Her porcelain face was stained with frustration and disgust. The lines in her skin deepened as Amon walked closer. 

“Don’t look so upset, Miss Sato.”

“Fuck you,” she spat.

“My, you have the same mouth as the Avatar.”

Asami wasn’t one to use strong language, but she was _so angry._ How could someone be so unapologetically evil? Instead of giving him the benefit of an answer, she just glared, silently daring him to walk one step closer. 

He didn’t. 

“Amon, sir.”

The man turned and looked at the chi-blocker in the doorway. It was a different guy, stockier and a little more nervous. Both Korra and Asami’s eyes flicked to the door, their hearts pattering strangely at the sound of his voice.

“Could you please escort Miss Sato back to her cell?”

“Yes, Amon, sir.” 

The chi-blocker came over and took Asami’s arm, but she was having none of that. 

“Get your hands off me,” she growled. The chi-blocker hesitated for a second before clearing his throat and gesturing to the door. 

“Come on.” He sounded nervous. “Don’t make me carry you.” 

Asami laughed. “You think you can get me to do what you say—“

“Asami.” 

The heiress looked down to see Korra staring up at her with wide, bewildered eyes.

“Korra—“

“Go with him,” she urged, sitting up a little. Her head kept turning to the chi-blocker, a nervousness apparent in her body language. Her reaction was strange. Asami wasn’t sure what to do when she looked back up to the glowing green goggles, to the mask on the other man’s face. 

Something in Korra’s pleading voice made her whisper, “Okay,” and follow the chi-blocker into the hall. She tried to keep her eyes on Korra’s limp body as much as possible, wondering if she’d ever see her again. As the turned the corner and the Avatar disappeared from view, her melancholy fell away, but a fire still burned in her chest.

Asami was visibly fuming, however, as they made their way down the hall. Out of the blue, she turned her head and growled, “How could you do this?" 

The chi-blocker looked shaken.

“I’m not—“ 

“How could you take orders from _him_?” 

“Asami, listen—“

“You’re as bad as he is!”

“Asami!”

They both stopped, realization dawning on the woman. 

“Bolin?”

Without taking off the mask, the boy grabbed her around the waist, gave her a quick hug, and then let go.

“Miss me?”

"You bet I did."

For the first time in a long while, the tears that fell down her cheeks were ones of relief.

 


End file.
